UC-NRLF 


B    3    351    3MD 


LIB  RARY 

OF    THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

GIFT     OF 


Received fft  27  1892....,  /(yp 
Accessions  No.  Lf&.C^  ./.O.       Shelf  No. 


THE 


HEADSMAN; 


OR, 


THE    ABB  AYE    DES    VIGflERONS 


BY    J.     FENIMORE    COOPER. 


"  How  oft  the  sight  of  means  to  do  111  deed* 
Makes  deeds  ill  done." 


IN      Tlf;0fvf  £)«LUMES. 
VOL.  I. 


NEW    EDITION. 


NEW    YORK: 
STRINGER      AND      TOWNSEND 


1856. 


s* 

*  OP  TH« 


HEADSMAN. 


Entered  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  In  the  year  1842,  by 

J.  FKNIMORK  COOPKR, 

In  the  Offlo*  of  the  Clerk  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States,  fa  and 
for  the  Northern  District  of  New  York. 


INTRODUCTION. 


EABLY  in  October  1832,  a  travelling-carriage  stopped 
on  the  summit  of  that  long  descent  where  the  road 
pitches  from  the  elevated  plain  of  Moudon  in  Switzerland 
to  the  level  of  the  lake  of  Geneva,  immediately  above 
the  little  city  of  Vevey.  The  postilion  had  dismounted 
to  chain  a  wheel,  and  the  halt  enabled  those  he  conducted 
to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  lovely  scenery  of  that  remarka 
ble  view. 

The  travellers  were  an  American  family,  which  had 
long  been  wandering  about  Europe,  and  which  was  now 
destined  it  knew  not  whither,  having  just  traversed  a 
thousand  miles  of  Germany  in  its  devious  course.  Four 
years  before,  the  same  family  had  halted  on  the  same 
spot,  nearly  on  the  same  day  of  the  month  of  October, 
and  for  precisely  the  same  object.  It  was  then  journey 
ing  to  Italy,  and  as  its  members  hung  over  the  view  of 
the  Leman,  with  its  accessories  of  Chillon,  Chatelard, 
Blonay,  Meillerie,  the  peaks  of  Savoy,  and  the  wild 
ranges  of  the  Alps,  they  had  felt  regret  that  the  fairy 
scene  was  so  soon  to  pass  away.  The  case  was  now 
different,  and  yielding  to  the  charm  of  a  nature  so  noble 
and  yet  so  soft,  within  a  few  hours,  the  carriage  was  in 
remise,  a  house  was  taken,  the  baggage  unpacked,  and 
the  household  gods  of  the  travellers  were  erected,  for  tn 
twentieth  time,  in  a  strange  land. 

Our  American  (for  the  family  had  its  head)  was  fami 
liar  with  the  ocean,  and  the  sight  of  water  awoke  old 


IV  INTRODUCTION. 

and  pleasant  recollections.  He  was  hardly  established 
in  Vevey  as  a  housekeeper,  before  he  sought  a  boat. 
Chance  brought  him  to  a  certain  Jean  Descloux  (we  give 
the  spelling  at  hazard,)  with  whom  he  soon  struck  up 
a  bargain,  and  they  launched  forth  in  company  upon  the 
ake. 

This  casual  meeting  was  the  commencement  of  an 
agreeable  and  friendly  intercourse.  Jean  Descloux, 
besides  being  a  very  good  boatman,  was  a  respectable 
philosopher  in  his  way ;  possessing  a  tolerable  stock  of 
general  information.  His  knowledge  of  America,  in 
particular,  might  be  deemed  a  little  remarkable.  He 
knew  it  was  a  continent,  which  lay  west  of  his  own 
quarter  of  the  world ;  that  it  had  a  place  in  it  called  New 
Vevey ;  that  all  the  whites  who  had  gone  there  were  not 
yet  black,  and  that  there  were  plausible  hopes  it  might 
one  day  be  civilized.  Finding  Jean  so  enlightened  on 
a  subject  under  which  most  of  the  eastern  savans  break 
down,  the  American  thought  it  well  enough  to  prick  him 
closely  on  other  matters.  The  worthy  boatman  turned 
out  to  be  a  man  of  singularly  just  discrimination.  He 
was  a  reasonably-good  judge  of  the  weather ;  had  divers 
marvels  to  relate  concerning  the  doings  of  the  lake; 
thought  the  city  very  wrong  for  not  making  a  port  in 
the  great  square ;  always  maintained  that  the  wine  of 
St.  Saphorin  was  very  savory  drinking  for  those  who 
could  get  no  better ;  laughed  at  the  idea  of  their  being 
sufficient  cordage  in  the  world  to  reach  the  bottom  of  the 
Genfer  See ;  was  of  opinion  that  the  trout  was  a  better 
fish  than  the  fera ;  spoke  with  singular  moderation  of 
his  ancient  masters,  the  bourgeoisie  of  Berne,  which, 
however,  he  always  affirmed  kept  singularly  bad  roads 
in  Vaud,  while  those  around  its  own  city  were  the  besf 


INTRODUCTION.  V 

in  Europe,  and  otherwise  showed  himself  to  be  a  discreet 
and  observant  man.  In  short,  honest  Jean  Descloux 
was  a  fair  sample  of  that  homebred,  upright  common- 
sense  which  seems  to  form  the  instinct  of  the  mass,  and 
which  it  is  greatly  the  fashion  to  deride  in  those  circles 
hi  which  mystification  passes  for  profound  thinking,  bold 
assumption  for  evidence,  a  simper  for  wit,  particular 
personal  advantages  for  liberty,  and  in  which  it  is  deem 
ed  a  mortal  offence  against  good  manners  to  hint  that 
Adam  and  Eve  were  the  common  parents  of  mankind. 

"  Monsieur  has  chosen  a  good  time  to  visit  Vevey," 
observed  Jean  Descloux,  one  evening,  that  they  were 
drifting  in  front  of  the  town,  the  whole  scenery  resem 
bling  a  fairy  picture  rather  than  a  portion  of  this  much- 
abused  earth ;  "  it  blows  sometimes  at  this  end  of  the 
lake  in  a  way  to  frighten  the  gulls  out  of  it.  We  shall 
see  no  more  of  the  steam-boat  after  the  last  of  the  month." 

The  American  cast  a  glance  at  the  mountain,  drew 
upon  his  memory  for  sundry  squalls  and  gales  which  he 
had  seen  himself,  and  thought  the  boatman's  figure  of 
speech  less  extravagant  than  it  had  at  first  seemed. 

"  If  your  lake  craft  were  better  constructed,  they  would 
make  better  weather,"  he  quietly  observed. 

Monsieur  Descloux  had  no  wish  to  quarrel  with  a 
customer  who  employed  him  every  evening,  and  who 
preferred  floating  with  the  current  to  being  rowed  with 
a  crooked  oar.  He  manifested  his  prudence,  therefore, 
by  making  a  reserved  reply. 

"  No  doubt,  monsieur,"  he  said,  "  that  the  people  who 
live  on  the  sea  make  better  vessels,  and  know  how  to 
sail  them  more  skilfully.  We  had  a  proof  of  that  here 
at  Vevey,"  (he  pronounced  the  word  like  v-vais,  agreea 
bly  to  the  sounds  of  the  French  vowels,)  "  last  summer 

A  2 


V  INTRODUCTION. 

which  you  might  like  to  hear.  An  English  gentleman 
— they  say  he  was  a  captain  in  the  marine — had  a  ves 
sel  built  at  Nice,  and  dragged  over  the  mountains  to  our 
lake.  He  took  a  run  across  to  Meillerie  one  fine  morn 
ing,  and  no  duck  ever  skimmed  along  lighter  or  swifter ! 
He  was  not  a  man  to  take  advice  from  a  Swiss  boatman; 
for  he  had  crossed  the  line,  and  seen  water  spouts  and 
whales  !  Well,  he  was  on  his  way  back  in  the  dark,  and 
it  came  on  to  blow  here  from  off  the  mountains,  and  he 
stood  on  boldly  towards  our  shore,  heaving  the  lead  as  he 
drew  near  the  land,  as  if  he  had  been  beating  into  Spit- 
head  in  a  fog," — Jean  chuckled  at  the  idea  of  sounding  in 
the  Leman — "  while  he  flew  along  like  a  bold  mariner,  as 
no  doubt  he  was !" 

"  Landing,  I  suppose,"  said  the  American,  "  among 
the  lumber  in  the  great  square  ?" 

"  Monsieur  is  mistaken.  He  broke  his  boat's  nose 
against  that  wall ;  and  the  next  day,  a  piece  of  her,  big 
enough  to  make  a  thole-pin,  was  not  to  be  found.  He 
might  as  well  have  sounded  the  heavens  !" 

"  The  lake  has  a  bottom,  notwithstanding  ?" 

"  Your  pardon,  monsieur.  The  lake  has  no  bottom. 
The  sea  may  have  a  bottom,  but  we  have  no  bottom 
here." 

There  was  little  use  in  disputing  the  point. 

Monsieur  Descloux  then  spoke  of  the  revolutions  he 
had  seen.  He  remembered  the  time  when  Vaud  was  a 
province  of  Berne.  His  observations  on  this  subject 
were  rational,  and  were  well  seasoned  with  wholesome 
common  sense.  His  doctrine  was  simply  this.  "  If 
one  man  rule,  he  will  rule  for  his  own  benefit,  and  that 
of  his  parasites ;  if  a  minority  rule,  we  have  many  mas 
ters  instead  of  one,"  (honest  Jean  had  got  hold  here  of  a 


INTRODUCTION.  vii 

cant  saying  of  the  privileged,  which  he  very  ingeniously 
converted  against  themselves,)  "  all  of  whom  must  be 
fed  and  served;  and  if  the  majority  rule,  and  ruled 
wrongfully,  why  the  minimum  of  harm  is  done."  He 
admitted,  that  the  people  might  be  deceived  to  their  own 
injury,  but  then,  he  did  not  think  it  was  quite  as  likely 
to  happen,  as  that  they  should  be  oppressed  when  they 
were  governed  without  any  agency  of  their  own.  On 
these  points,  the  American  and  the  Vaudois  were  abso 
lutely  of  the  same  mind. 

From  politics  the  transition  to  poetry  was  natural,  for 
a  common  ingredient  in  both  would  seem  to  be  fiction. 
On  the  subject  of  his  mountains,  Monsieur  Descloux  was 
a  thorough  Swiss.  He  expatiated  on  their  grandeur, 
their  storms,  their  height,  and  their  glaciers,  with  elo 
quence.  The  worthy  boatman  had  some  such  opinions 
of  the  superiority  of  his  own  country,  as  all  are  apt  to 
form  who  have  never  seen  any  other.  He  dwelt  on  the 
glories  of  an  Abbaye  des  Vignerons,  too,  with  the  gusto 
of  a  Vevaisan,  and  seemed  to  think  it  would  be  a  high 
stroke  of  state  policy,  to  get  up  a  new  fete  of  this  kind  as 
speedily  as  possible.  In  short,  the  world  and  its  interests 
were  pretty  generally  discussed  between  these  two  phi- 
losophers  during  an  intercourse  that  extended  to  a  month. 

Our  American  was  not  a  man  to  let  instruction  of  this 
nature  easily  escape  him.  He  lay  hours  at  a  time  on 
the  seats  of  Jean  Descloux's  boat,  looking  up  at  the 
mountains,  or  watching  some  lazy  sail  on  the  lake,  and 
speculating  on  the  wisdom  of  which  he  was  so  accident 
ally  made  the  repository.  His  view  on  one  side  was 
limited  by  the  glacier  of  Mcnt  Velan,  a  near  neighbor  or 
the  celebrated  col  of  St.  Bernard ;  and  on  the  other,  his 
•ye  could  range  to  the  smiling  fields  that  surround  Gene- 


Viii  INTRODUCTION. 

va.  Within  this  setting  is  contained  one  of  the  most 
magnificent  pictures  that  Nature  ever  drew,  and  he  be 
thought  him  of  the  human  actions,  passions,  and  interests 
of  which  it  might  have  been  the  scene.  By  a  connexion 
that  was  natural  enough  to  the  situation,  he  imagined  a 
fragment  of  life  passed  between  these  grand  limits,  and 
the  manner  in  which  men  could  listen  to  the  never- 
wearied  promptings  of  their  impulses  in  the  immediate 
presence  of  the  majesty  of  the  Creator.  He  bethought 
him  of  the  analogies  that  exist  between  inanimate  nature 
and  our  own  wayward  inequalities  ;  of  the  fearful  ad 
mixture  of  good  and  evil  of  which  we  are  composed ;  of 
the  mannejr  in  which  the  best  betray  their  submission  to 
the  devils,  and  in  which  the  worst  have  gleams  of  that 
eternal  principle  of  right,  by  which  they  have  been  en 
dowed  by  God ;  of  those  tempests  which  sometimes  lie 
dormant  in  our  systems,  like  the  slumbering  lake  in  the 
calm,  but  which  excited,  equal  its  fury  when  lashed  by 
the  winds  ;  of  the  strength  of  prejudices ;  of  the  worth- 
lessness  and  changeable  character  of  the  most  cherished 
of  our  opinions,  and  of  that  strange,  incomprehensible, 
and  yet  winning  melange  of  contradictions,  of  fallacies, 
of  truths,  and  of  wrongs,  which  make  up  the  sum  of  our 
existence. 

The  following  pages  are  the  result  of  this  dreaming. 
The  reader  is  left  to  his  own  intelligence  for  the  moral. 

A  respectable  English  writer  observed : — "  All  pages 
of  human  life  are  worth  reading ;  the  wise  instruct ;  the 
gay  divert  us ;  the  imprudent  teach  us  what  to  shun 
the  absurd  cure  the  spleen." 


THE  HEADSMAN 


CHAPTER  I. 

Day  glimmered  and  I  went,  a  gentle  breeze 
Ruffling  the  Leman  lake. 

ROGERS. 

THE  year  was  in  its  fall,  according  to  a  poetical 
expression  of  our  own,  and  the  morning  bright,  as 
the  fairest  and  swiftest  bark  that  navigated  the 
Leman  lay  at  the  quay  of  the  ancient  and  histori 
cal  town  of  Geneva,  ready  to  depart  for  the  country 
of  Vaud.     This  vessel  was  called  the  Winkelried, 
in  commemoration  of  Arnold  of  that  name,  who 
had  so  generously  sacrificed  life  and  hopes  to  the 
good  of  his  country,  and  who  deservedly  ranks 
among  the  truest  of  those  heroes  of  whom  we  have 
well-authenticated  legends.     She  had  been  launch 
ed  at  the  commencement  of  the  summer,  and  still 
bore  at  the  fore-top-mast-head  a  bunch  of  ever 
greens,    profusely   ornamented    with   knots    and 
streamers  of  riband,  the  offerings  of  the  patron's 
female  friends,  and  the  fancied  gage  of  success. 
The  use  of  steam,  and  the  presence  of  unemployed 
seamen  of  various  nations,  in  this  idle  season  of 
the  warlike,  are  slowly  leading  to  innovations  and 
improvements  in  the  navigation  of  the  lakes  of 
Italy  and  Switzerland,  it  is  true ;  but  time,  even  at 
this  hour,  has  done  little  towards  changing  the  ha 
bits  and  opinions  of  those  who  ply  on  these  inland 
waters  for  a  subsistence.     The  Winkelreid  had  the 
two  low,  diverging  masts ;  the  attenuated  and  pic- 


10  THE    HEADSMAN 

turesquely-poised  latine  yards ;  the  light,  triangular 
sails ;  the  sweeping  and  projecting  gangways ;  the 
receding  and  falling  stern ;  the  high  and  peaked 
prow,  with,  in  general,  the  classical  end  quaint  air 
of  those  vessels  that  are  seen  in  the  older  paintings 
and  engravings.     A   gilded  ball  glittered  on  the 
summit  of  each  mast,  for  no  canvass  was  set  higher 
than  the  slender  and  well-balanced  yards,  and  it 
was  above  one  of  these  that  the  wilted  bush,  with 
its  gay  appendages,  trembled  and  fluttered  in  a 
fresh  western  wind.     The  hull  was  worthy  of  so 
much  goodly  apparel,  being  spacious,  commodious, 
and,  according  to  the  wants  of  the  navigation,  of 
approved  mould.     The  freight,  which  was  suffi 
ciently  obvious,  much  the  greatest  part  being  piled 
on  the  ample  deck,  consisted  of  what  our  own 
watermen  would  term  an  assorted  cargo.     It  was, 
however,  chiefly  composed  of  those  foreign  luxu 
ries,  as  they  were  then  called,  though  use  has  now 
rendered  them  nearly  indispensable   to   domestic 
economy,  which  were  consumed,  in  singular  mod 
eration,  by  the  more  affluent  of  those  who  dwrelt 
deeper  among  the  mountains,  and  of  the  two  prin 
cipal  products  of  the  dairy ;  the  latter  being  des 
tined  to  a  market  in  the  less  verdant  countries  ot 
the  south.     To  these  must  be  added  the  personal 
effects  of  an  unusual  number  of  passengers,  which 
were  stowed  on  the  top  of  the  heavier  part  of  the 
cargo,  with  an  order  and  care  that  their  value 
would   scarcely  seem  to  require.     The  arrange 
ment,  however,  was  necessary  to  the  convenience 
and  even  to  the  security  of  the  bark,  having  been 
made  by  the  patron  with  a  view  to  posting  each 
individual  by  his  particular  wallet,  in  a  manner  to 
prevent  confusion  in  the  crowd,  and  to  leave  the 
crew  space  and  opportunity  to  discharge  the  ne 
cessary  duties  of  the  navigation. 

With  a  vessel  stowed,  sails  ready  to  drop,  tho 


THE   HEADSMAIT.  11 

wind  fair,  and  the  day  drawing  on  apace,  the 
patron  of  the  Winkelried,  who  was  also  her  owner, 
felt  a  very  natural  wish  to  depart.  But  an  unlook 
ed-for  obstacle  had  just  presented  itself  at  the 
water-gate,  where  the  officer  charged  with  the 
duty  of  looking  into  the  characters  of  all  who  went 
and  came  was  posted,  and  around  whom  some  fifty 
representatives  of  half  as  many  nations  were  now 
clustered  in  a  clamorous  throng,  filling  the  air  with 
a  confusion  of  tongues  that  had  some  probable  af 
finity  to  the  noises  which  deranged  the  workmen 
of  Babel.  It  appeared,  by  parts  of  sentences  and  bro 
ken  remonstrances,  equally  addressed  to  the  patron, 
whose  name  was  Baptiste,  and  to  the  guardian  of 
the  Genevese  laws,  a  rumor  was  rife  amongtthese 
truculent  travellers,  that  Balthazar,  the  headsman, 
or  executioner,  of  the  powerful  and  aristocratical 
canton  of  Berne,  was  about  to  be  smuggled  into 
their  company  by  the  cupidity  of  the  former,  con 
trary,  not  only  to  what  was  due  to  the  feelings  and 
rights  of  men  of  more  creditable  callings,  but,  as  it 
was  vehemently  and  plausibly  insisted,  to  the  very 
safety  of  those  who  were  about  to  trust  their  for 
tunes  to  the  vicissitudes  of  the  elements. 

Chance  and  the  ingenuity  of  Baptiste  had  col 
lected,  on  this  occasion,  as  party-colored  and 
heterogeneous  an  assemblage  of  human  passions, 
interests,  dialects,  wishes,  and  opinions,  as  any  ad 
mirer  of  diversity  of  character  could  desire.  There 
were  several  small  traders,  some  returning  from 
adventures  in  Germany  and  France,  and  some 
bound  southward,  with  their  scanty  stock  of  wares ; 


a  few  poor  scholars,  bent  on  a  literary  pilgrimage 
to  Rome ;  an  artist  or  two,  better  provided  with 
enthusiasm  than  with  either  knowledge  or  taste, 
journeying  with  poetical  longings  towards  skies 
and  tints  of  Italy ;  a  troupe  of  street  jugglers,  who 
had  been  turning  their  Neapolitan  buffoonery  to 


12  THE   HEADSMAN. 

account  among  the  duller  and  less  sophisticated 
inhabitants   of  Swabia ;    divers  lacqueys   out  of 
place ;  some  six  or  eight  capitalists  who  lived  on 
their  wits,  and  a  nameless  herd  of  that  set  which 
the  French  call  bad  "  subjects;"  a  title  that  is  jus* 
now,  oddly  enough,  disputed  between  the  dregs  o 
society  and  a  class  that  would  fain  become  its  ex 
elusive  leaders  and  lords. 

These  with  some  slight  qualifications  that  it  is 
not  yet  necessary  to  particularise,  composed  that 
essential  requisite  of  all  fair  representation — the 
majority.  Those  who  remained  were  of  a  different 
caste.  Near  the  noisy  crowd  of  tossing  heads  and 
brandished  arms,  in  and  around  the  gate,  was  a 
party  containing  the  venerable  and  still  fine  figure 
of  a  nian  in  the  travelling  dress  of  one  of  superior 
condition,  and  who  did  not  need  the  testimony  of 
the  two  or  three  liveried  menials  that  stood  near 
his  person,  to  give  an  assurance  of  his  belonging  to 
the  more  fortunate  of  his  fellow-creatures,  as  good 
and  evil  are  usually  estimated  in  calculating  the 
chances  of  life.  On  his  arm  leaned  a  female,  so 
young,  and  yet  so  lovely,  as  to  cause  regret  in  all 
who  observed  her  fading  color,  the  sweet  but 
melancholy  smile  that  occasionally  lighted  her  mild 
and  pleasing  features,  at  some  of  the  more  marked 
exuberances  of  folly  among  the  crowd,  and  a  form 
which,  notwithstanding  her  lessened  bloom,  was 
nearly  perfect.  If  these  symptoms  of  delicate 
health,  did  not  prevent  this  fair  girl  from  being 
amused  at  the  volubility  and  arguments  of  the  dif 
ferent  orators,  she  oftener  manifested  apprehension 
at  finding  herself  the  companion  of  creatures  so 
untrained,  so  violent,  so  exacting,  and  so  grossly 
ignorant.  A  young  man,  wearing  the  roquelaure 
and  other  similar  appendages  of  a  Swiss  in  foreign 
military  service,  a  character  to  excite  neither  ob 
servation  nor  comment  m  that  age,  stood  at  hrr 


THE    HEADSMAN.  18 

eibow,  answering  the  questions  that  from  time  to 
time  were  addressed  to  him  by  the  others,  in  a 
manner  to  show  he  was  an  intimate  acquaintance, 
though  there  were  signs  about  his  travelling  equi 
page  to  prove  he  was  not  exactly  of  their  ordinary 
society.  Of  all  who  were  not  immediately  en 
gaged  in  the  boisterous  discussion  at  the  gate,  this 
young  soldier,  who  was  commonly  addressed  by 
those  near  him  as  Monsieur  Sigismund,  was  much 
the  most  interested  in  its  progress.  Though  of 
herculean  frame,  and  evidently  of  unusual  physical 
force,  he  was  singularly  agitated.  His  cheek, 
which  had  not  yet  lost  the  freshness  due  to  the 
mountain  air,  would,  at  times,  become  pale  as 
that  of  the  wilting  flower  near  him ;  while  at  oth 
ers,  the  blood  rushed  across  his  brow  in  a  torrent 
that  seemed  to  threaten  a  rupture  of  the  starting 
vessels  in  which  it  so  tumultuously  flowed.  Unless 
addressed,  however,  he  said  nothing ;  his  distress 
gradually  subsiding,  until  it  was  merely  betrayed 
by  the  convulsive  writhings  of  his  fingers,  which 
unconsciously  grasped  the  hilt  of  his  sword. 

The  uproar  had  now  continued  for  some  time : 
throats  were  getting  sore,  tongues  clammy,  voices 
hoarse,  and  words  incoherent,  when  a  sudden  check 
was  given  to  the  useless  clamor  by  an  incident 
quite  in  unison  with  the  disturbance  itself.     Two 
enormous  dogs  were  in  attendance  hard  by,  appa 
rently  awaiting  the  movements  of  their  respective 
masters,  who  were  lost  to  view  in  the  mass  of 
heads  and  bodies  that  stopped  the  passage  of  the 
gate.     One  of  these  animals  was  covered  with  a 
short,  thick  coating  of  hair,  whose  prevailing  co 
lor  was  a  dingy  yellow,  but  whose  throat  and 
legs,  with  most  of  the  inferior  parts  of  the  body, 
were  of  a  dull  white.     Nature,  on  the  other  hand, 
had  given  a  dusky,  brownish,  shaggy  dress  to  his 
rival,  though  his  general  hue  was  relieved  by  a  few 
B 


l4  THE    HEADSMAN. 

shades  of  a  more  decided  black.  As  respects 
weight  and  force  of  body,  the  difference  between 
the  brutes  was  not  very  obvious,  though  perhaps  it 
slightly  inclined  in  favor  of  the  former,  who  in 
length,  if  not  in  strength,  of  limb,  however,  had 
more  manifestly  the  advantage. 

It  would  much  exceed  the  intelligence  we  have 
brought  to  this  task  to  explain  how  far  the  instincts 
of  the  dogs  sympathised  in  the  savage  passions  of 
the  human  beings  around  them,  or  whether  they 
were  conscious  that  their  masters  had  espoused 
opposite  sides  in  the  quarrel,  and  that  it  became 
them,  as  faithful  esquires,  to  tilt  together  by  way  of 
supporting  the  honor  of  those  they  followed ;  but, 
after  measuring  each  other  for  the  usual  period 
with  the  eye,  they  came  violently  together,  body  to 
body,  in  the  manner  of  their  species.  The  collision 
was  fearful,  and  the  struggle,  being  between  two 
creatures  of  so  great  size  and  strength,  of  the 
fiercest  kind.  The  roar  resembled  that  of  lions, 
effectually  drowning  the  clamor  of  human  voices. 
Every  tongue  was  mute,  and  each  head  was  turn 
ed  in  the  direction  of  the  combatants.  The  trem 
bling  girl  recoiled  with  averted  face,  while  the 
young  man  stepped  eagerly  forward  to  protect 
her,  for  the  conflict  was  near  the  place  they  occu 
pied  ;  but  powerful  and  active  as  was  his  frame, 
he  hesitated  about  mingling  in  an  affray  so  fero 
cious.  At  this  critical  moment,  when  it  seemed 
that  the  furious  brutes  were  on  the  point  of  tearing 
each  other  in  pieces,  the  crowd  was  pushed  vio 
lently  open,  and  two  men  burst,  side  by  side,  out  of 
the  mass.  One  wore  the  black  robes,  the  conical, 
Asiatic-looking,  tufted  cap,  and  the  white  belt  of  an 
Augustine  monk,  and  the  other  had  the  attire  of  a 
man  addicted  to  the  seas,  without,  however,  being 
so  decidedly  maritime  as  to  leave  his  character  a 
matter  that  was  quite  beyond  dispute.  The  former 


THE    HEADSMAN.  15 

was  fair,  ruddy,  with  an  oval,  happy  face,  of  which 
internal  peace*  and  good-will  to  his  fellows  were  the 
principal  characteristics,  while  the  latter  had  the 
swarthy  hue,  bold  lineaments,  and  glittering  eye, 
of  an  Italian. 

"  Uberto  !"  said  the  monk  reproachfully,  affect 
ing  the  sort  of  offended  manner  that  one  would  be 
apt  to  show  to  a  more  intelligent  creature,  willing; 
but  at  the  same  time  afraid,  to  trust  his  person 
nearer  to  the  furious  conflict,  "  shame  on  thee,  old 
Uberto!  Hast  forgotten  thy  schooling — hast  no 
respect  for  thine  own  good  name  V9 

On  the  other  hand,  the  Italian  did  not  stop  to 
expostulate;  but  throwing  himself  with  reckless 
hardihood  on  the  dogs,  by  dint  of  kicks  and  blows, 
of  which  much  the  heaviest  portion  fell  on  the  fol 
lower  of  the  Augustine,  he  succeeded  in  separating 
the  combatants. 

"  Ha,  Nettuno  !""  he  exclaimed,  with  the  severity 
of  one  accustomed  to  exercise  a  stern  and  absolute 
authority,  so  soon  as  this  daring  exploit  was 
achieved,  and  he  had  recovered  a  little  of  the 
breath  lost  in  the  violent  exertion — "what  dost 
mean?  Canst  find  no  better  amusement  than  quar 
relling  with  a  dog  of  San  Bernardo  !  Fie  upon  thee, 
foolish  Nettuno  !  I  am  ashamed  of  thee,  dog :  thou, 
that  hast  discreetly  navigated  so  many  seas,  to 
lose  thy  temper  on  a  bit  of  fresh  water !" 

The  dog,  which  was  in  truth  no  other  than  a 
noble  animal  of  the  well-known  Newfoundland 
breed,  hung  his  head,  and  made  signs  of  contrition, 
by  drawing  nearer  to  his  master  with  a  tail  that 
swept  the  ground,  while  his  late  adversary  quietly 
seated  himself  with  a  species  of  monastic  dignity, 
looking  from  the  speaker  to  his  foe,  as  if  endeavor 
ing  to  comprehend  the  rebuke  which  his  powerful 
ind  gallant  antagonist  took  so  meekly. 

"  Father,"  said  the  Italian,  "  our  dogs  are  both 


16  THE    HEADSMAN, 

too  useful,  in  their  several  ways,  and  both  of  too 
good  character  to  be  enemies.  I  know  Ubarto 
of  old,  for  the  paths  of  St.  Bernard  and  I  are  nc* 
strangers,  andr  if  report  does  the  animal  no  more 
than  justice,  he  hath  not  been  an  idle  cur  among 
the  snows." 

"  He  hath  been  the  instrument  of  saving  seven 
Christians  from  death,"  answered  the  monk,  begin 
ning  again  to  regard  his  mastiff  with  friendly  looks, 
for  at  first  there  had  been  keen  reproach  and  se 
vere  displeasure  in  his  manner — "not  to  speak 
of  the  bodies  that  have  been  found  by  his  activity, 
after  the  vital  spark  had  fled," 

"  As  for  the  latter,  father,  we  can  count  little 
more  in  favor  of  the  dog  than  a  good  intention. 
Valuing  services  on  this  scale,  I  might  ere  this 
have  been  the  holy  father  himself,  or  at  least  a  car 
dinal  ;  but  seven  lives  saved,  for  their  owners  to* 
die  quietly  in  their  beds,  and  with  opportunity  to 
make  their  peace  with  heaven,  is  no  bad  recom 
mendation  for  a  dog.  Nettuno,  here,  is  everyway 
worthy  to  be  the  friend  of  old  Uberto,  for  thirteen 
drowning  men  have  I  myself  seen  him  draw  from 
the  greedy  jaws  of  sharks  and  other  monsters  of 
.deep  water.  What  dost  thou  say,  father;  shall 
we  make  peace  between  the  brutes'?" 

The  Augustine  expressed  his  readiness,  as  well 
as  his  desire,  to  aid  in  an  effort  so  laudable,  and  b> 
dint  of  commands  and  persuasion,  the  dogs,  whc 
were  predisposed  to  peace  from  having  had  a  mu 
tual  taste  of  the  bitterness  of  war,  and  who  now 
felt  for  each  other  the  respect  which  courage  and 
force  are  apt  to  create,  were  soon  on  the  usuaj 
terms  of  animals  of  their  kind  that  have  no  parti 
cular  grounds  for  contention. 

The  guardian  of  the  city  improved  the  calm  pro 
duced  by  this  little  incident,  to  regain  a  portion  of 
his  lost  authority.  Beating  back  the  crowd  with 


THE    HEADSMAN  17 

his  cane,  he  cleared  a  space  around  the  gate  into 
which  but  one  of  the  travellers  could  enter  at  a 
time,  while  he  professed  himself  not  only  ready  but 
determined  to  proceed  with  his  duty,  without  fur 
ther  procrastination.  Baptiste,  the  patron,  who 
beheld  the  precious  moments  wasting,  and  who,  in 
the  delay,  foresaw  a  loss  of  wind,  which,  to  one  of 
his  pursuits,  was  loss  of  money,  now  earnestly 
pressed  the  travellers  to  comply  with  the  necessary 
forms,  and  to  take  their  stations  in  his  bark  with 
all  convenient  speed. 

"  Of  what  matter  is  it,"  continued  the  calculat 
ing  waterman,  who  was  rather  conspicuously 
known  for  the  love  of  thrift  that  is  usually  at 
tributed  to  most  of  the  inhabitants  of  that  region, 
"  whether  there  be  one  headsman  or  twenty  in  the 
bark,  so  long  as  the  good  vessel  can  float  and 
steer?  Our  Leman  winds  are  fickle  friends,  and 
the  wise  take  them  while  in  the  humor.  Give  me 
the  breeze  at  west,  and  I  will  load  the  Winkelried 
to  the  water's  edge  with  executioners,  or  any  other 
pernicious  creatures  thou  wilt,  and  thou  mayest 
take  the  lightest  bark  that  ever  swam  in  the  bise, 
and  let  us  see  who  will  first  make  the  haven  of 
Vevey !" 

The  loudest,  and  in  a  sense  that  is  very  impor 
tant  in  all  such  discussions,  the  principal,  speaker 
in  the  dispute,  was  the  leader  of  the  Neapolitan 
troupe,  who,  in  virtue  of  good  lungs,  an  agility  that 
had  no  competitor  in  any  present,  and  a  certain 
mixture  of  superstition  and  bravado,  that  formed 
nearly  equal  ingredients  in  his  character,  was  a 
man  likely  to  gain  great  influence  with  those  who, 
from  their  ignorance  and  habits,  had  an  inherent 
love  of  the  marvellous,  and  a  profound  respect  for 
all  who  possessed,  in  acting,  more  audacity,  and, 
in  believing,  more  credulity  than  themselves.  The 
vulgar  like  an  excess,  even  if  it  be  of  folly;  for,  in 
B2 


18  THE    HEADSMAN. 

their  eyes,  the  abundance  of  any  particular  quality 
is  very  apt  to  be  taken  as  the  standard  of  its  ex 
cellence. 

"  This  is  well  for  him  who  receives,  but  it  may 
be  death  to  him  that  pays,"  cried  the  son  of  the 
south,  gaining  not  a  little  among  his  auditors  by 
the  distinction,  for  the  argument  was  sufficiently 
wily,  as  between  the  buyer  and  the  seller.  "  Thou 
wilt  get  thy  silver  for  the  risk,  and  we  may  get 
watery  graves  for  our  weakness.  Nought  but 
mishaps  can  come  of  wicked  company,  and  ac 
cursed  will  they  be,  in  the  evil  hour,  that  are  found 
in  brotherly  communion  with  one  whose  trade  is 
hurrying  Christians  into  eternity,  before  the  time 
that  has  been  lent  by  nature  is  fairly  up.  Santa 
Madre  !  I  would  not  be  the  fellow-traveller  of  such 
a  wretch,  across  this  wild  and  changeable  lake,  for 
the  honor  of  leaping  and  showing  my  poor  powers 
in  the  presence  of  the  Holy  Father,  and  the  whole 
of  the  learned  conclave !" 

This  solemn  declaration,  which  was  made  with 
suitable  gesticulation,  and  an  action  of  the  counte 
nance  that  was  well  adapted  to  prove  the  speaker's 
sincerity,  produced  a  corresponding  effect  on  most 
of  the  listeners,  wrho  murmured  their  applause  in  a 
manner  sufficiently  significant  to  convince  the 
patron  he  was  not  about  to  dispose  of  the  difficulty, 
simply  by  virtue  of  fair  words.  In  this  dilemma, 
he  bethought  him  of  a  plan  of  overcoming  the 
scruples  of  all  present,  in  which  he  was  warmly 
seconded  by  the  agent  of  the  police,  and  to  which, 
after  the  usual  number  of  cavilling  objections  that 
were  generated  by  distrust,  heated  blood,  and  the 
obstinacy  of  disputation,  the  othev  parties  were 
finally  induced  to  give  their  consent.  It  was 
agreed  that  the  examination  should  no  longer  bo 
delayed,  but  that  a  species  of  deputation  from  the 
crowd  might  take  their  stand  within  the  gato 


THE    HEADSMAN.  19 

where  all  who  passed  would  necessarily  be  subject 
to  their  scrutiny,  and,  in  the  event  of  their  vigi 
lance  detecting  the  abhorred  and  proscribed  Bal 
thazar,  that  the  patron  should  return  his  money  to 
the  headsman,  and  preclude  him  from  forming  one 
of  a  party  that  was  so  scrupulous  of  its  associa 
tion,  and,  apparently,  with  so  little  reason.  The 
Neapolitan,  whose  name  was  Pippo ;  one  of  the 
indigent  scholars,  for  a  century  since  learning  was 
rather  the  auxiliary  than  the  foe  of  superstition ; 
and  a  certain  Nicklaus  Wagner,  a  fat  Bernese, 
who  was  the  owner  of  most  of  the  cheeses  in  the 
bark,  were  the  chosen  of  the  multitude  on  this  oc 
casion.  The  first  owed  his  election  to  his  vehe 
mence  and  volubility,  qualities  that  the  ignoble 
vulgar  are  very  apt  to  mistake  for  conviction  and 
knowledge ;  the  second  to  his  silence  and  a  de- 
mureness  of  air  which  pass  with  another  class  for 
the  stillness  of  deep  water  ;  and  the  last  to  his  sub 
stance,  as  a  man  of  known  wealth,  an  advantage 
which,  in  spite  of  all  that  alarmists  predict  on  one 
side  and  enthusiasts  affirm  on  the  other,  will  al 
ways  carry  greater  weight  with  those  who  are 
less  fortunate  in  this  respect,  than  is  either  reason 
able  or  morally  healthful,  provided  it  is  not  abused 
by  arrogance  or  by  the  assumption  of  very  extrav 
agant  and  oppressive  privileges.  As  a  matter  of 
course,  these  deputed  guardians  of  the  common 
rights  were  first  obliged  to  submit  their  own  pa 
pers  to  the  eye  of  the  Genevese.* 

*  As  we  have  so  often  alluded  to  this  examination,  it  may 
be  well  to  explain,  that  the  present  system  of  gend'armerie  and 
passports  did  not  then  prevail  in  Europe ;  taking*  their  rise 
nearly  a  century  later  than  that  in  which  the  events  of  this 
tale  had  place.  But  Geneva  was  a  small  and  exposed  state, 
and  the  regulation  to  which  there  is  reference  here,  was  one 
of  the  provisions  which  were  resorted  to,  from  time  to  time 
in  order  to  protect  those  liberties  and  that  independence,  of 
•vhich  its  citizens  were  so  unceasingly  and  so  wisely  jealous. 


20  THE    HEADSMAN. 

The  Neapolitan,  than  whom  an  archer  knav$ 
or  one  that  had  committed  more  petty  wrongs,  din 
not  present  himself  that  day  at  the  water-gate,  was 
regularly  fortified  by  every  precaution  that  the 
long  experience  of  a  vagabond  could  suggest,  and 
he  was  permitted  to  pass  forthwith.  The  poor 
Westphalian  student  presented  an  instrument  fairly 
written  out  in  scholastic  Latin,  and  escaped  further 
trouble  by  the  vanity  of  the  unlettered  agent  of  the 
police,  who  hastily  affirmed  it  was  a  pleasure  to 
encounter  documents  so  perfectly  in  form.  But 
the  Bernese  was  about  to  take  his  station  by  the 
side  of  the  other  two,  appearing  to  think  inquiry, 
in  his  case,  unnecessary.  While  moving  through 
the  passage  in  stately  silence,  Nicklaus  Wagner 
was  occupied  in  securing  the  strings  of  a  well- 
filled  purse,  which  he  had  just  lightened  of  a  small 
copper  coin,  to  reward  the  varlet  of  the  hostelry 
in  which  he  had  passed  the  night,  and  who  had 
been  obliged  to  follow  him  to  the  port  to  obtain 
even  this  scanty  boon ;  and  the  Genevese  was  fain 
to  believe  that,  in  the  urgency  of  this  important 
concern,  he  had  overlooked  those  forms  which  all 
were,  just  then,  obliged  to  respect,  on  quitting  the 
town. 

"  Thou  hast  a  name  and  character  ?"  observed 
the  latter,  with  official  brevity. 

"  God  help  thee,  friend  ! — I  did  not  think  Gene 
va  had  been  so  particular  with  a  Swiss ; — and  a 
Swiss  who  is  so  favorably  known  on  the  Aar,  and 
indeed  over  the  whole  of  the  great  canton !  I  am 
Nicklaus  Wagner,  a  name  of  little  account,  per 
haps,  but  which  is  well  esteemed  among  men  of 
substance,  and  which  has  a  right  even  to  the  Biir- 
gerschaft — Nicklaus  Wagner  of  Berne — thou  wilt 
scarce  need  more  ?" 

"  Naught  but  proof  of  its  truth.  Thou  wilt  re 
member  this  is  Geneva ;  the  laws  of  a  small  and 


THE    HEADSMAN. 


21 


exposed  state  need  be  particular  in  affairs  of  this 

nature." 

"I  never  questioned  thy  state  being  Geneva  ;  1 
only  wonder  thou  shouldst  doubt  my  being  Nick- 
laus  Wagner !  I  can  journey  the  darkest  night  that 
ever  threw  a  shadow  from  the  mountains,  any 
where  between  the  Jura  and  the  Oberland,  and 
none  shall  say  my  word  is  to  be  disputed.  Look 
'ee,  there  is  the  patron,  Baptiste,  who  will  tellthee, 
that  if  he  were  to  land  the  freight  which  is  shipped 
in  my  name,  his  bark  would  float  greatly  the 
lighter." 

All  this  time  Nicklaus  was  nothing  loth  to  show 
his  papers,  which  were  quite  in  rule.  He  even 
held  them,  with  a  thumb  and  finger  separating  the 
folds,  ready  to  be  presented  to  his  questioner.  The 
hesitation  came  from  a  feeling  of  wounded  vanity, 
which  would  gladly  show  that  one  of  his  local  im 
portance  and  known  substance  was  to  be  exempt 
from  the  exactions  required  from  men  of  smaller 
means.  The  officer,  who  had  great  practice  in 
this  species  of  collision  with  his  fellow-creatures, 
understood  the  character  with  which  he  had  to 
deal,  and,  seeing  no  good  reason  for  refusing  to 
gratify  a  feeling  which  was  innocent,  though  suf 
ficiently  silly,  he  yielded  to  the  Bernese  pride. 

"  Thou  canst  proceed,"  he  said,  turning  tho  in 
dulgence  to  account,  with  a  ready  knowledge  of 
his  duty ;  "  and  when  thou  gettest  again  among 
thy  burghers,  do  us  of  Geneva  the  grace  to  say, 
we  treat  our  allies  fairly." 

"  I  thought  thy  question  hasty  !'  exclaimed  the 
wealthy  peasant,  swelling  like  one  who  gets  jus 
tice,  though  tardily.  "  Now  let  us  to  this  knotty 
affair  of  the  headsman." 

Taking  his  place  with  the  Neapolitan  and  the 
Westphalian,  Nicklaus  assumed  the  grave  air  of 
a  judge,  and  an  austerity  of  manner  which  proved 


22  THE    HEADSMAN. 

that  he  entered  on  his  duty  with  a  firm  resolution 
to  do  justice. 

"  Thou  art  well  known  here,  pilgrim,"  observed 
the  officer,  with  some  severity  of  tone,  to  the  next 
that  came  to  the  gate. 

"  St.  Francis  to  speed,  master,  it  were  else 
wonderful !  I  should  be  so,  for  the  seasons  scarce 
come  and  go  more  regularly." 

"  There  must  be  a  sore  conscience  somewhere, 
that  Rome  and  thou  should  need  each  other  so 
often?" 

The  pilgrim,  who  was  enveloped  in  a  tattered 
coat,  sprinkled  with  cockle-shells,  who  wore  his 
beard,  and  was  altogether  a  disgusting  picture 
of  human  depravity,  rendered  still  more  revolting 
by  an  ill-concealed  hypocrisy,  laughed  openly 
and  recklessly  at  the  remark. 

"  Thou  art  a  follower  of  Calvin,  master,"  he 
replied,  "  or  thou  would'st  not  have  said  this.  My 
own  failings  give  me  little  trouble.  I  am  engaged 
by  certain  parishes  of  Germany  to  take  upon  my 
poor  person  their  physical  pains,  and  it  is  not  easy 
to  name  another  that  hath  done  as  many  messages 
of  this  kind  as  myself,  with  better  proofs  of  fideli 
ty.  If  thou  hast  any  little  offering  to  make,  thou 
shalt  see  fair  papers  to  prove  what  I  say ; — papers 
that  would  pass  at  St.  Peter's  itself!" 

The  officer  perceived  that  he  had  to  do  with  one 
of  those  unequivocal  hypocrites — if  such  a  word  can 
properly  be  applied  to  him  who  scarcely  thought 
deception  necessary — who  then  made  a  traffic  of 
expiations  of  this  nature;  a  pursuit  that  was  com 
mon  enough  at  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  and  in 
the  commencement  of  the  eighteenth  centuries,  and 
which  has  not  even  yet  entirely  disappeared  from 
Europe.  He  threw  the  pass  with  unconcealed 
aversion  towards  the  profligate,  who,  recovering 
lis  document,  assumed  unasked  his  station  by  the 


THE   HEADSMAN.  23 

side  of  the  three  who  had  been  selected  to  decide 
on  the  fitness  of  those  who  were  to  be  allowed  to 
embark. 

"  Go  to  !"  cried  the  officer,  as  he  permitted  this 
ebullition  of  disgust  to  escape  him ;  "  thou  hast 
well  said  that  we  are  followers  of  Calvin.  Geneva 
has  little  in  common  with  her  of  the  scarlet  man 
tle,  and  thou  wilt  do  well  to  remember  this,  in  thy 
next  pilgrimage,  lest  the  beadle  make  acquaintance 
with  thy  back. — Hold  !  who  art  thou  ?" 

"  A  heretic,  hopelessly  damned  by  anticipation, 
if  that  of  yonder  travelling  prayer-monger  be 
the  true  faith ;"  answered  one  who  was  pressing 
past,  with  a  quiet  assurance  that  had  near  carried 
its  point  without  incurring  the  risks  of  the  usual 
investigation  into  his  name  and  character.  It  was 
the  owner  of  Nettuno,  whose  aquatic  air  and  per 
fect  self-possession  now  caused  the  officer  to  doubt 
whether  he  had  not  stopped  a  waterman  of  the 
lake — a  class  privileged  to  come  and  go  at  will. 

"  Thou  knowest  our  usages,"  said  the  half-satis 
fied  Genevese. 

"  I  wTere  a  fool  else !  Even  the  ass  that  often 
travels  the  same  path  comes  in  time  to  tell  its 
turns  and  windings.  Art  not  satisfied  with  touch 
ing  the  pride  of  the  worthy  Nicklaus  Wagner,  by 
putting  the  well-warmed  burgher  to  his  proofs,  but 
thou  would'st  e'en  question  me !  Come  hither, 
Nettuno  ;  thou  shalt  answer  for  both,  being  a  dog 
of  discretion.  We  are  no  go-betweens  of  heaven 
and  earth,  thou  knowest,  but  creatures  that  come 
part  of  the  water  and  part  of  the  land  !" 

The  Italian  spoke  loud  and  confidently,  and  in 
the  manner  of  one  who  addressed  himself  more  to 
the  humors  of  those  near  than  to  the  understand 
ing  of  the  Genevese.  He  laughed,  and  looked 
about  him  in  a  manner  to  extract  an  echo  from 
the  crowd,  though  not  one  among  them  all  could 


24  THE    HEADSMAN. 

probably  have  given  a  sufficient  reason  why  he 
had  so  readily  taken  part  with  the  stranger  against 
he  authorities  of  the  town,  unless  it  might  have 
been  from  the  instinct  of  opposition  to  the  law. 

"  Thou  hast  a  name  ?"  continued  the  half-yield 
ing,  half-doubting  guardian  of  the  port. 

"  Dost  take  me  to  be  worse  off  than  the  bark  of 
Baptiste,  there  1  I  have  papers,  too,  if  thou  wilt  that 
I  go  to  the  vessel  in  order  to  seek  them.  This  dog 
is  Nettuno,  a  brute  from  a  far  country,  where 
brutes  swim  like  fishes,  and  my  name  is  Maso, 
though  wicked-minded  men  call  me  oftener  II 
Maledetto  than  by  any  other  title." 

All  in  the  throng,  who  understood  the  significa 
tion  of  what  the  Italian  said,  laughed  aloud,  and 
apparently  with  great  glee,  for,  to  the  grossly 
vulgar,  extreme  audacity  has  an  irresistible  charm. 
The  officer  felt  that  the  merriment  was  against 
him,  though  he  scarce  knew  wrhy ;  and  ignorant 
of  the  language  in  which  the  other  had  given  his 
extraordinary  appellation,  he  yielded  to  the  conta 
gion,  and  laughed  with  the  others,  like  one  who 
understood  the  joke  to  the  bottom.  The  Italian 
profited  by  this  advantage,  nodded  familiarly  with 
a  good-natured  and  knowing  smile,  and  proceeded. 
Whistling  the  dog  to  his  side,  he  walked  leisurely 
to  the  bark,  into  which  he  was  the  first  that  en 
tered,  always  preserving  the  deliberation  and  calm 
of  a  man  who  felt  himself  privileged,  and  safe  from 
farther  molestation.  This  cool  audacity  effected 
its  purpose,  though  one  long  and  closely  hunted 
by  the  law  evaded  the  authorities  of  the  town, 
when  this  singular  being  took  his  seat  by  the  little 
package  which  contained  his  scanty  wardrobe. 


THE    HEADSMAN. 


CHAPTER  II. 

My  nobiel  liege !  all  my  request 
Ys  for  a  nobile  knyghte, 
Who,  tho'  mayhap  he  has  done  wronge, 
Hee  thoughte  ytt  stylle  was  righte." 

CHATTERTON. 

WHILE  this  impudent  evasion  of  vigilance  was 
successfully  practised  by  so  old  an  offender,  the 
trio  of  sentinels,  with  their  volunteer  assistant  the 
pilgrim,  manifested  the  greatest  anxiety  to  prevent 
the  contamination  of  admitting  the  highest  execu 
tioner  of  the  law  to  form  one  of  the  strangely  as 
sorted  company.  No  sooner  did  the  Genevese 
permit  a  traveller  to  pass,  than  they  commenced 
their  private  and  particular  examination,  which 
was  sufficiently  fierce,  for  more  than  once  had  they 
threatened  to  turn  back  the  trembling,  ignorant 
applicant  on  mere  suspicion.  The  cunning  Bap- 
tiste  lent  himself  to  their  feelings  with  the  skill  of 
a  demagogue,  affecting  a  zeal  equal  to  their  own, 
while,  at  the  same  time,  he  took  care  most  to  ex 
cite  their  suspicions  where  there  was  the  smallest 
danger  of  their  being  rewarded  with  success. 
Through  this  fiery  ordeal  one  passed  after  another, 
until  most  of  the  nameless  vagabonds  had  been 
found  innocent,  and  the  throng  around  the  gate 
was  so  far  lessened  as  to  allow  a  freer  circulation 
in  the  thoroughfare.  The  opening  permitted  the 
venerable  noble,  who  has  already  been  presented 
to  the  reader,  to  advance  to  the  gate,  accompanied 
by  the  female,  and  closely  followed  by  the  menials. 
The  servitor  of  the  police  saluted  the  stranger 
with  deference,  for  his  calm  exterior  and  imposing 
presence  were  in  singular  contrast  with  the  noisy 
C 


26  THE    HEADSMAN. 

declamation  and  rude  deportment  of  the  rabble 
that  had  preceded. 

"  I  am  Melchior  de  Willading,  of  Berne,"  said 
the  traveller,  quietly  offering  the  proofs  of  what 
he  said,  with  the  ease  of  one  sure  of  his  impu 
nity  ;  "  this  is  my  child — my  only  child,"  the  old 
man  repeated  the  latter  words  with  melancholy 
emphasis,  "  and  these,  that  wear  my  livery,  are 
old  and  faithful  followers  of  my  house.  We  go 
by  the  St.  Bernard,  to  change  the  ruder  side  of 
our  Alps  for  that  which  is  more  grateful  to  the 
weak — to  see  if  there  be  a  sun  in  Italy  that  hath 
warmth  enough  to  revive  this  drooping  flower, 
and  to  cause  it  once  more  to  raise  its  head  joy 
ously,  as  until  lately,  it  did  ever  in  its  native  halls." 
The  officer  smiled  and  repeated  his  reverences, 
always  declining  to  receive  the  offered  papers; 
for  the  aged  father  indulged  the  overflowing  of 
his  feelings  in  a  manner  that  would  have  awakened 
even  duller  sympathies. 

"  The  lady  has  youth  and  a  tender  parent  of  her 
side,"  he  said  ;  "  these  are  much  when  health  fails 
us." 

"  She  is  indeed  too  young  to  sink  so  early !" 
returned  the  father,  who  had  apparently  forgotten 
his  immediate  business,  and  was  gazing  with  a 
tearful  eye  at  the  faded  but  still  eminently  attrac 
tive  features  of  the  young  female,  who  rewarded 
nis  solicitude  with  a  look  of  love ;  "  but  thou  hast 
not  seen  I  am  the  man  I  represent  myself  to  be." 
"  It  is  not  necessary,  noble  baron;  the  city  knows 
of  your  presence,  and  I  have  it,  in  especial  charge, 
to  do  all  that  may  be  grateful  to  render  the  pas 
sage  through  Geneva,  of  one  so  honored  among 
our  allies,  agreeable  to  his  recollections." 

"  Thy  city's  courtesy  is  of  known  repute,"  said 
the  Baron  de  Willading,  replacing  his  papers  in 
their  usual  envelope,  and  receiving  the  grace  like 


THE    HEADSMAN.  27 

one  accustomed  to  honors  of  this  sort : — "  art  thou 
a  father?" 

"  Heaven  has  not  been  niggardly  of  gifts  of  this 
nature :  my  table  feeds  eleven,  besides  those  who 
gave  them  being." 

"  Eleven ! — The  will  of  God  is  a  fearful  mys 
tery  !  And  this  thou  seest  is  the  sole  hope  of  my 
line ; — the  only  heir  that  is  left  to  the  name  and 
lands  of  Willading !  Art  thou  at  ease  in  thy  con 
dition?" 

"  There  are  those  in  our  town  who  are  less  so, 
with  many  thanks  for  the  friendliness  of  the  ques 
tion." 

A  slight  color  suffused  the  face  of  Adelheid  de 
Willading,  for  so  was  the  daughter  of  the  Bernese 
called,  and  she  advanced  a  step  nearer  to  the 
officer. 

"  They  who  have  so  few  at  their  own  board, 
need  think  of  those  who  have  so  many,"  she  said, 
dropping  a  piece  of  gold  into  the  hand'  of  the  Gen- 
evese :  then  she  added,  in  a  voice  scarce  louder 
than  a  whisper — "  If  the  young  and  innocent  of 
thy  household  can  offer  a  prayer  in  the  behalf  of 
a  poor  girl  who  has  much  need  of  aid,  'twill  be 
remembered  of  God,  and  it  may  serve  to  lighten 
the  grief  of  one  who  has  the  dread  of  being  child 
less." 

"  God  bless  thee,  lady !"  said  the  officer,  little 
used  to  deal  with  such  spirits,  and  touched  by  the 
mild  resignation  and  piety  of  the  speaker,  whose 
simple  but  winning  manner  moved  him  nearly  to 
tears ;  "  all  of  my  family,  old  as  well  as  young, 
shall  bethink  them  of  thee  and  thine." 

Adelheid's  cheek  resumed  its  paleness,  and  she 
quietly  accompanied  her  father,  as  he  slowly  pro 
ceeded  towards  the  bark.  A  scene  of  this  nature 
did  not  fail  to  shake  the  pertinacity  of  those  who 
stood  at  watch  near  the  gate.  Of  course  they  had 


28  THE    HEADSMAN. 

nothing  to  say  to  any  of  the  rank  of  Melchior  de 
Willading,  who  went  into  the  bark  without  a  ques 
tion.  The  influence  of  beauty  and  station  united 
to  so  much  simple  grace  as  that  shown  by  the  fair 
actor  in  the  little  incident  we  have  just  related, 
was  much  too  strong  for  the  ill-trained  feelings  of 
the  Neapolitan  and  his  companions.  They  not  only 
let  all  the  menials  pass  unquestioned  also,  but  it 
was  some  little  time  before  their  vigilance  resumed 
its  former  truculence.  The  two  or  three  travel 
lers  that  succeeded  had  the  benefit  of  this  fortu 
nate  change  of  disposition. 

The  next  who  came  to  the  gate  was  the  young 
soldier,  whom  the  Baron  de  Willading  had  so  of 
ten  addressed  as  Monsieur  Sigismund.  His  papers 
were  regular,  and  no  obstacle  was  offered  to  his 
departure.  It  may  be  doubted  how  far  this  young 
man  would  have  been  disposed  to  submit  to  these 
extra-official  inquiries  of  the  three  deputies  of  the 
crowd,  had  there  been  a  desire  to  urge  them,  for 
he  went  towards  the  quay,  with  an  eye  that  ex 
pressed  any  other  sensation  than  that  of  amity  or 
compliance.  Respect,  or  a  more  equivocal  feel 
ing,  proved  his  protection ;  for  none  but  the  pil 
grim,  who  displayed  ultra-zeal  in  the  pursuit  of 
his  object,  ventured  so  far  as  to  hazard  even  a 
smothered  remark  as  he  passed. 

"  There  goes  an  arm  and  a  sword  that  might 
well  shorten  a  Christian's  days,"  said  the  dissolute 
and  shameless  dealer  in  the  church's  abuses,  "  and 
yet  no  one  asks  his  name  or  calling !" 

"  Thou  hadst  better  put  the  question  thyself," 
returned  the  sneering  Pippo,  "  since  penitence  is 
thy  trade.  For  myself,  I  am  content  with  whirl 
ing  round  at  my  own  bidding,  without  taking  a 
hint  from  that  young  giant's  arm." 

The  poor  scholar  and  the  burgher  of  Berne  ap 
peared  to  acquiesce  in  this  opinion,  and  no  more 


THE    HEADSMAN.  29 

v/as  said  in  the  matter.  In  the  mean  while  there 
was  another  at  the  gate.  The  new  applicant  had 
little  in  his  exterior  to  renew  the  vigilance  of  the 
superstitious  trio.  A  quiet,  meek-looking  man, 
seemingly  of  a  middle  condition  in  life,  and  of  an 
air  altogether  calm  and  unpretending,  had  sub 
mitted  his  passport  to  the  faithful  guardian  of  the 
city.  The  latter  read  the  document,  cast  a  quick 
and  inquiring  glance  at  its  owner,  and  returned 
the  paper  in  a  way  to  show  haste,  and  a  desire  to 
be  rid  of  him. 

"  It  is  well,"  he  said;  "  thou  canst  go  thy  way." 

"  How  now !"  cried  the  Neapolitan,  to  whom 
buffoonery  was  a  congenial  employment,  as  much 
by  natural  disposition  as  by  practice ;  "  How  now ! 
—have  we  Balthazar  at  last,  in  this  bloody-minded 
and  fierce-looking  traveller  ?"  As  the  speaker  had 
expected,  this  sally  was  rewarded  by  a  general 
laugh,  and  he  was  accordingly  encouraged  to  pro 
ceed.  "  Thou  knowest  our  office,  friend,"  added 
the  unfeeling  mountebank,  "  and  must  show  us  thy 
hands.  None  pass  who  bear  the  stain  of  blood  !" 

The  traveller  appeared  staggered,  for  he  was 
plainly  a  man  of  retired  and  peaceable  habits,  who 
had  been  thrown,  by  the  chances  of  the  road,  in 
contact  with  one  only  too  practised  in  this  un 
feeling  species  of  wit.  He  showed  his  open  palm, 
however,  with  a  direct  and  confiding  simplicity, 
that  drew  a  shout  of  merriment  from  all  the  by 
standers. 

"  This  will  not  do;  soap,  and  ashes,  and  the  tears 
of  victims,  may  have  washed  out  the  marks  of 
his  work  from  Balthazar  himself.  The  spots  we 
seek  are  on  the  soul,  man,  and  we  must  look  into 
that,  ere  thou  art  permitted  to  make  one  in  this 
goodly  company." 

"  Thou  didst  not  question  yonder  young  soldiei 
thus,"  returned  the  stranger,  whose  eye  kindled, 
C2 


30  THE    HEADSMAN. 

as  even  the  meek  repel  unprovoked  outrage,  tnougn 
his  frame  trembled  violently  at  being  subject  to 
open  insults  from  men  so  rude  and  unprincipled ; 
"  thou  didst  not  dare  to  question  yonder  young  sol 
dier  thus !" 

"  By  the  prayers  of  San  Gennaro !  which  are 
known  to  stop  running  and  melted  lava,  I  would 
rather  thou  should'st  undertake  that  office  than  I. 
Yonder  young  soldier  is  an  honorable  decapitator, 
and  it  is  a  pleasure  to  be  his  companion  on  a  jour 
ney  ;  for,  no  doubt,  some  six  or  eight  of  the  saints 
are  speaking  in  his  behalf  daily.  But  he  we  seek 
is  the  outcast  of  all,  good  or  bad,  whether  in  hea 
ven  or  on  earth,  or  in  that  other  hot  abode  to  which 
he  will  surely  be  sent  when  his  time  shall  come." 

"And  yet  he  does  no  more  than  execute  the 
law !" 

"  What  is  law  to  opinion,  friend  1  But  go  thy 
way ;  none  suspect  thee  to  be  the  redoubtable  ene 
my  of  our  heads.  Go  thy  way,  for  Heaven's  sake, 
and  mutter  thy  prayers  to  be  delivered  from  Bal 
thazar's  axe." 

The  countenance  of  the  stranger  worked,  as  if 
he  would  have  answered ;  then  suddenly  changing 
his  purpose,  he  passed  on,  and  instantly  disappeared 
in  the  bark.  The  monK  of  St.  Bernard  came  next. 
Both  the  Augustine  and  his  dog  were  old  acquain 
tances  of  the  officer,  who  did  not  require  any  evi 
dence  of  his  character  or  errand  from  the  former. 

"  We  are  the  protectors  of  life  and  not  its  foes," 
observed  the  monk,  as,  leaving  the  more  regulai 
watchman  of  the  place,  he  drew  near  to  those 
whose  claims  to  the  office  would  have  admitted  ol 
dispute :  "we  live  among  the  snows,  that  Christians 
may  not  die  without  the  church's  comfort." 

"Honor,  holy  Augustine,  to  thee  and  thy  office !" 
said  the  Neapolitan,  who,  reckless  and  abandoned 
as  he  was,  possessed  that  instinct  of  respect  for 


THE    HEADSMAN  31 

ihose  who  deny  their  natures  for  the  good  of  others 
which  is  common  to  all,  however  tainted  by  cu 
pidity  themselves.  "  Thou  and  thy  dog,  old  Uberto, 
can  freely  pass,  with  our  best  good  wishes  for 
both." 

There  no  longer  remained  any  to  examine,  and, 
after  a  short  consultation  among  the  more  super 
stitious  of  the  travellers,  they  came  to  the  very 
natural  opinion  that,  intimidated  by  their  just  remon 
strances,  the  offensive  headsman  had  shrunk,  un- 
perceived,  from  the  crowd,  and  that  they  were  at 
length  happily  relieved  from  his  presence.  The 
annunciation  of  the  welcome  tidings  drew  much 
self-felicitation  from  the  different  members  of  the 
motley  company,  and  all  eagerly  embarked,  for 
Baptiste  now  loudly  and  vehemently  declared  that 
a  single  moment  of  further  delay  was  entirely  out 
of  the  question. 

"  Of  what  are  you  thinking,  men !"  he  exclaim 
ed  with  well-acted  heat ;  "are  the  Leman  winds 
liveried  lackeys,  to  come  and  go  as  may  suit  your 
fancies ;  now  to  blow  west,  and  now  east,  as  shall 
be  most  wanted,  to  help  you  on  your  journeys? 
Take  example  of  the  noble  Melchior  de  Willading, 
who  has  long  been  in  his  place,  and  pray  the  saints, 
if  you  will,  in  your  several  fashions,  that  this  fair 
western  wind  do  not  quit  us  in  punishment  of  our 
neglect." 

"  Yonder  come  others,  in  haste,  to  be  of  the 
party ! "  interrupted  the  cunning  Italian ;  "loosen 
thy  fasts  quickly,  Master  Baptiste,  or,  by  San  Gen- 
naro !  we  shall  still  be  detained !  " 

The  Patron  suddenly  checked  himself,  and  hur 
ried  back  to  the  gate,  in  order  to  ascertain  what 
he  might  expect  from  this  unlooked-for  turn  of  for 
tune. 

Two  travellers,  in  the  attire  of  men  familiar 
with  the  road,  accompanied  by  a  menial,  and  fol- 


03  THE    HEADSMAN. 

lowed  by  a  porter  staggering  under  the  burthen  oi 
their  luggage,  were  fast  approaching  the  water- 
gate,  as  if  conscious  the  least  delay  might  cause 
their  being  left.  This  party  was  led  by  one  con 
siderably  past  the  meridian  of  life,  and  who  evi 
dently  was  enabled  to  maintain  his  post  more  by 
the  deference  of  his  companions  than  by  his  physi 
cal  force.  A  cloak  was  thrown  across  one  arm, 
while  in  the  hand  of  the  other  he  carried  the  rapier, 
which  all  of  gentle  blood  then  considered  3  neces 
sary  appendage  of  their  rank. 

"  You  were  near  losing  the  last  bark  that  sails 
for  the  Abbaye  des  Vignerons,  Signori, "  said  the 
Genevese,  recognizing  the  country  of  the  strangers 
at  a  glance,  "  if,  as  I  judge  from  your  direction 
and  haste,  these  festivities  are  in  your  minds." 

"  Such  is  our  aim,"  returned  the  elder  of  the 
travellers,  "  and,  as  t«hou  sayest,  we  are,  of  a  cer 
tainty,  tardy.  A  hasty  departure  and  bad  roads 
have  been  the  cause — but  as,  happily,  we  are  yet 
in  time  to  profit  by  this  bark,  wilt  do  us  the  favor 
to  look  into  our  authority  to  pass  ?" 

The  officer  perused  the  offered  document  with 
the  customary  care,  turning  it  from  side  to  side, 
as  if  all  were  not  right,  though  in  a  way  to  show 
that  he  regretted  the  informality. 

"  Signore,  your  pass  is  quite  in  rule  as  touches 
Savoy  and  the  country  of  Nice,  but  it  wants  the 
city's  forms." 

"  By  San  Francesco  !  more's  the  pity.  We  are 
honest  gentlemen  of  Genoa,  hurrying  to  witness 
the  revels  at  Vevey,  of  which  rumor  gives  an 
enticing  report,  and  our  sole  desire  is  to  come  and 
go  peaceably.  As  thou  seest,  we  are  late;  for 
hearing  at  the  post,  on  alighting,  that  a  bark  was 
about  to  spread  its  sails  for  the  other  extremity  of 
the  lake,  we  had  no  time  to  consult  all  the  observ 
ances  that  thy  city's  rules  may  deem  necessary 


THE    HEADSMAN.  33 

So  many  turn  their  faces  the  same  way,  to  witness 
these  ancient  games,  that  we  had  not  thought  our 
quick  passage  through  the  town  of  sufficient  im 
portance  to  give  thy  authorities  the  trouble  to  look 
into  our  proofs." 

"  Therein,  Signore,  you  have  judged  amiss.  It 
is  my  sworn  duty  to  stay  all  who  want  the  repub 
lic's  permission  to  proceed." 

"  This  is  unfortunate,  to  say  no  more.  Art  thou 
the  patron  of  the  bark,  friend  ?" 

"  And  her  owner,  Signore,"  answered  Baptiste, 
who  listened  to  the  discourse  with  longings  equal 
to  his  doubts.  "  I  should  be  a  great  deal  too  happy 
to  count  such  honorable  travellers  among  my 
passengers." 

"  Thou  wrilt  then  delay  thy  departure  until  this 
gentleman  shall  see  the  authorities  of  the  town, 
and  obtain  the  required  permission  to  quit  it  1  Thy 
compliance  shall  not  go  unrewarded." 

As  the  Genoese  concluded,  he  dropped  into  a 
palm  that  was  well  practised  in  bribes  a  sequin  of 
the  celebrated  republic  of  which  he  was  a  citizen. 
Baptiste  had  long  cuitivated  an  aptitude  to  suffer 
himself  to  be  influenced  by  gold,  and  it  was  with 
unfeigned  reluctance  that  he  admitted  the  necessity 
of  refusing,  in  this  instance,  to  profit  by  his  own 
good  dispositions.  Still  retaining  the  money,  how 
ever,  for  he  did  not  well  know  how  to  overcome 
his  reluctance  to  part  with  it,  he  answered  in  a 
manner  sufficiently  embarrassed,  to  show  the  other 
that  he  had  at  least  gained  a  material  advantage 
by  his  liberality. 

"  His  Excellency  knows  not  what  he  asks,"  said 
the  patron,  fumbling  the  coin  between  a  finger  and 
thumb ;  "  our  Genevese  citizens  love  to  keep  house 
till  the  sun  is  up,  lest  they  should  break  their  necks 
by  walking  about  the  uneven  streets  in  the  dark,  and 
it  will  be  two  long  hours  before  a  single  bureau  will 


34  THE  HEADSMAN. 

open  its  windows  in  the  town.  Besides,  yom  man 
of  the  police  is  not  like  us  of  the  lake,  happy  to  get 
a  morsel  when  the  weather  and  occasion  permit ; 
but  he  is  a  regular  feeder,  that  must  have  his  grapes 
and  his  wine  before  he  will  use  his  wits  for  the 
benefit  of  his  employers.  The  Winkelried  would 
weary  of  doing  nothing,  with  this  fresh  western 
breeze  humming  between  her  masts,  while  the  poor 
gentleman  was  swearing  before  the  town-house 
gate  at  the  laziness  of  the  officers.  I  know  the 
rogues  better  than  your  Excellency,  and  would  ad 
vise  some  other  expedient." 

Baptiste  looked,  with  a  certain  expression,  at  the 
guardian  of  the  water-gate,  and  in  a  manner  to 
make  his  meaning  sufficiently  clear  to  the  travel 
lers.  The  latter  studied  the  countenance  of  the 
Genevese  a  moment,  and,  better  practised  than  the 
patron,  or  a  more  enlightened  judge  of  character, 
he  fortunately  refused  to  commit  himself  by  offer 
ing  to  purchase  the  officer's  good-will.  If  there 
are  too  many  who  love  to  be  tempted  to  forget 
their  trusts,  by  a  well-managed  venality,  there  are  a 
few  who  find  a  greater  satisfaction  in  being  thought 
beyond  its  influence.  The  watchman  of  the  gate 
happened  to  be  one  of  the  latter  class,  and,  by  one 
of  the  many  unaccountable  workings  of  human  feel 
ing,  the  very  vanity  which  had  induced  him  to  suf 
fer  II  Maledetto  to  go  through  unquestioned,  rather 
than  expose  his  own  ignorance,  now  led  him  to 
wish  he  might  make  some  return  for  the  stranger's 
good  opinion  of  his  honesty. 

"  Will  you  let  me  look  again  at  the  pass,  Sig- 
nore?"  asked  the  Genevese,  as  if  he  thought  a  suf 
ficient  legal  warranty  for  that  which  he  now  strong 
ly  desired  to  do  might  yet  be  found  in  the  instru 
ment  itself. 

The  inquiry  was  useless,  unless  it  was  to  show 
that  the  elder  Genoese  was  called  the  Signer  Gri- 


THE    HEADSMAN.  35 

maldi  and  that  his  companion  went  by  the  name  of 
Marcelli.  Shaking  his  head  he  returned  the  paper 
in  the  manner  of  a  disappointed  man. 

"  Thou  canst  not  have  read  half  of  what  the  pa 
per  contains,"  said  Baptiste  peevishly;  "your read 
ing  and  writing  are  not  such  easy  matters,  that  a 
squint  of  the  eye  is  all-sufficient.  Look  at  it  again, 
and  thou  mayest  yet  find  all  in  rule.  It  is  unrea 
sonable  to  suppose  Signori  of  their  rank  would 
journey  like  vagabonds,  with  papers  to  be  sus* 
pected." 

"Nothing  is  wanting  but  our  city  signatures, 
without  which  my  duty  will  let  none  go  by,  that 
are  truly  travellers," 

"  This  comes,  Signore,  of  the  accursed  art  of 
writing,  which  is  much  pushed  and  greatly  abused 
of  late.  I  have  heard  the  aged  watermen  of  the 
Leman  praise  the  good  old  time,  when  boxes  and 
bales  went  and  came,  and  no  ink  touched  paper 
between  him  that  sent  and  him  that  carried ;  and 
yet  it  has  now  reached  the  pass  that  a  Christian 
may  not  transport  himself  on  his  own  legs  without 
calling  on  the  scriveners  for  permission  !" 

"  We  lose  the  moments  in  words,  when  it  were 
far  better  to  be  doing,"  returned  the  Signore  Gri- 
maldi.  "  The  pass  is  luckily  in  the  language  of  the 
country,  and  needs  but  a  glance  to  get  the  appro 
val  of  the  authorities.  Thou  wilt  do  well  to  say 
thou  canst  remain  the  time  necessary  to  see  this 
little  done." 

"  Were  your  excellency  to  offer  me  the  Doge's 
crown  as  a  bribe,  this  could  not  be.     Our  Leman 
winds  will  not  wait  for  king  or  noble,  bishop  or 
priest,  and  duty  to  those  I  have  in  the  bark  com 
mands  me  to  quit  the  port  as  soon  as  possible." 

"  Thou  art  truly  well  charged  with  living  freight 
already,"  said  the  Genoese,  regarding  the  deeply 
loaded  bark  with  a  half-distrustful  eye  '*  I  hope 


36  THE    HEADSMAN. 

thou  hast  not  overdone  thy  vessel's  powers  in  re 
ceiving  so  many?" 

"  I  could  gladly  reduce  the  number  a  little,  ex 
cellent  Signore,  for  all  that  you  see  piled  among 
the  boxes  and  tubs  are  no  better  than  so  many 
knaves,  fit  only  to  give  trouble  and  raise  questions 
touching  the  embarkation  of  those  who  are  willing 
to  pay  better  than  themselves.  The  noble  Swiss, 
whom  you  see  seated  near  the  stern,  with  his  daugh 
ter  and  people,  the  worthy  Melchior  de  Willading, 
gives  a  more  liberal  reward  for  his  passage  to 
v  evey  than  all  those  nameless  rogues  together." 

The  Genoese  made  a  hasty  movement  towards 
the  patron,  with  an  earnestness  of  e  ye  and  air  that 
betrayed  a  sudden  and  singular  interest  in  what  he 
heard. 

"  Did'st  thou  say  de  Willading  ?"  he  exclaimed, 
eager  as  one  of  much  fewer  years  would  have  been 
at  the  unexpected  announcement  of  some  pleasur 
able  event.  "Melchior,  too,  of  that  honorable 
name?" 

"  Signore,  the  same.  None  other  bears  the  title 
now,  for  the  old  line,  they  say,  is  drawing  to  an 
end.  I  remember  this  same  baron,  when  he  was 
as  ready  to  launch  his  boat  into  a  troubled  lake,  as 
any  in  Switzerland — " 

"  Fortune  hath  truly  favored  me,  good  Marcelli !" 
interrupted  the  other,  grasping  the  hand  of  his  com 
panion,  with  strong  feeling.  "  Go  thou  to  the  bark, 
master  patron,  and  advise  thy  passenger  that — 
what  shall  we  say  to  Melchior?  Shall  we  tell 
him  at  once,  who  waits  him  here,  or  shall  we  prac 
tise  a  little  on  his  failing  memory  ?  By  San  Fran 
cesco  !  we  will  do  this,  Enrico,  that  we  may  try 
his  powers !  'Twill  be  pleasant  to  see  him  won- 
der  and  guess — my  life  on  it,  however,  that  he 
knows  me  at  a  glance.  I  am  truly  little  changed 
lor  one  that  hath  seen  so  much." 


THE   HEADSMAN.  37 

The  Signer  Marcelli  lowered  his  eyes  respect 
fully  at  this  opinion  of  his  friend,  but  he  did  not 
see  fit  to  discourage  a  belief  which  was  merely  a 
sudden  ebullition,  produced  by  the  recollection  of 
younger  days.  Baptiste  was  instantly  dispatched 
with  a  request  that  the  baron  would  do  a  stranger 
of  rank  the  favor  to  come  to  the  water-gate. 

"  Tell  him  'tis  a  traveller  disappointed  in  the 
wish  to  be  of  his  company,"  repeated  the  Geno 
ese.  That  will  suffice.  I  know  him  courteous, 
and  he  is  not  my  Melchior,  honest  Marcelli,  if  he 
delay  an  instant : — thou  seest !  he  is  already  quit 
ting  the  bark,  for  never  did  I  know  him  refuse  an 
act  of  friendliness — dear,  dear  Melchior — thou 
art  the  same  at  seventy  as  thou  wast  at  thirty !" 

Here  the  agitation  of  the  Genoese  got  the  better 
of  him,  and  he  walked  aside,  under  a  sense  of 
shame,  lest  he  might  betray  unmanly  weakness. 
In  the  mean  time,  the  Baron  de  Willading  ad 
vanced  from  the  water-side,  without  suspecting 
that  his  presence  was  required  for  more  than  an 
act  of  simple  courtesy. 

"  Baptiste  tells  me  that  gentlemen  of  Genoa  are 
here,  who  are  desirous  of  hastening  to  the  games 
of  Vevey,"   said  the  latter,  raising  his  beaver, 
"  and  that  my  presence  may  be  of  use  in  obtain 
ing  the  pleasure  of  their  company." 

"  I  will  not  unmask  till  we  are  fairly  and  de 
cently  embarked,  Enrico,"  whispered  the  Signor 
Grimaldi ;  "  nay — by  the  mass  !  not  till  we  are 
fairly  disembarked !  The  laugh  against  him  will 
never  be  forgotten.  Signore,"  addressing  the 
Bernese  with  effected  composure,  endeavoring  to 
assume  the  manner  of  a  stranger,  though  his  voice 
trembled  with  eagerness  at  each  syllable,  "  we  are 
indeed  of  Genoa,  and  most  anxious  to  be  of  the 
party  in  your  bark — but — he  little  suspects  who 
speaks  to  him,  Marcelli ! — but,  Signore,  there  has 
D 


38  THE    HEADSMAN. 

been  some  small  oversight  touching  the  city  sig 
natures,  and  we  have  need  of  friendly  assistance 
either  to  pass  the  gate,  or  to  detain  the  bark  until 
the  forms  of  the  place  shall  have  been  respected/ 

"  Signore,  the  city  of  Geneva  hath  need  to  be 
watchful,  for  it  is  an  exposed  and  weak  state,  and 
I  have  little  hope  that  my  influence  can  cause  thi 
trusty  watchman  to  dispense  with  his  duty. 
Touching  the  bark,  a  small  gratuity  will  do  much 
with  honest  Baptiste,  should  there  not  be  a  ques 
tion  of  the  stability  of  the  breeze,  in  which  case 
he  might  be  somewhat  of  a  loser." 

"  You  say  the  truth,  noble  Melchior,"  put  in  the 
patron ;  "  were  the  wind  ahead,  or  were  it  two 
hours  earlier  in  the  morning,  the  little  delay  should 
not  cost  the  strangers  a  batz — that  is  to  say, 
nothing  unreasonable ;  but  as  it  is,  I  have  not 
twenty  minutes  more  to  lose,  even  were  all  the 
city  magistrates  cloaking  to  be  of  the  party,  in 
their  proper  and  worshipful  persons." 

"  I  greatly  regret,  Signore,  it  should  be  so," 
resumed  the  baron,  turning  to  the  applicant  with 
the  consideration  of  one  accustomed  to  season  his 
refusals  by  a  gracious  manner ;  "  but  these  water 
men  have  their  secret  signs,  by  which,  it  would 
seem,  they  know  the  latest  moment  they  may  with 
prudence  delay." 

"  By  the  mass !  Marcelli,  I  will  try  him  a  little — 
I  should  have  known  him  in  a  carnival  dress. 
Signor  Barone,  we  are  but  poor  Italian  gentlemen, 
it  is  true,  of  Genoa.  You  have  heard  of  our  re 
public,  beyond  question — the  poor  state  of  Genoa?" 

"  Though  of  no  great  pretensions  to  letters,  Sig 
nore,"  answered  Melchior,  smiling,  "I  am  not 
quite  ignorant  that  such  a  state  exists.  You  could 
not  have  named  a  city  on  the  shores  of  your  Medi 
terranean  that  would  sooner  warm  my  heart  than 
this  very  town  of  whicn  you  speak.  Many  of 


THE    HEADSMAN.  39 

my  happiest  hours  were  passed  within  its  walls, 
and  often,  even  at  this  late  day,  do  I  live  over 
again  my  life  to  recall  the  pleasures  of  that  merry 
period.  *  Were  there  leisure,  I  could  repeat  a  list 
of  honorable  and  much  esteemed  names  that  are 
familiar  to  your  ears,  in  proof  of  what  I  say." 

"  Name  them,  Signor  Barone ; — for  the  love  of 
the  saints,  and  the  blessed  virgin,  name  them,  I 
beseech  you !" 

A  little  amazed  at  the'  eagerness  of  the  other 
Melchior  de  Willading  earnestly  regarded  his  fur 
rowed  face;  and,  for  an  instant,  an  expression 
like  incertitude  crossed  his  own  features. 

"Nothing  would  be  easier,  Signore,  than  to 
name  many.  The  first  in  my  memory,  as  he  has 
always  been  the  first  in  my  love,  is  Gaetano  Gri- 
maldi,  of  whom,  I  doubt  not,  both  of  you  have 
often  heard  ?" 

"  We  have,  we  have  !  That  is — yes,  I  think  we 
may  say,  Marcelli,  that  we  have  often  heard  of 
him,  and  not  unfavorably.  Well,  what  of  this 
Grimaldi?" 

"  Signore,  the  desire  to  converse  of  your  noble 
townsman  is  natural,  but  were  I  to  yield  to  my 
wishes  to  speak  of  Gaetano,  I  fear  the  honest 
Baptiste  might  have  reason  to  complain." 

"  To  the  devil  with  Baptiste  and  his  bark !  Mel 
chior, — my  good  Melchior ! — dearest,  dearest  Mel 
chior  !  hast  thou  indeed  forgotten  me  ?" 

Here  the  Genoese  opened  wide  his  arms,  and 
stood  ready  to  receive  the  embrace  of  his  friend. 
The  Baron  de  Willading  was  troubled,  but  he  was 
still  so  far  from  suspecting  the  real  fact,  that  he 
could  not  have  easily  told  the  reason  why.  He  gazed 
wistfully  at  the  working  features  of  the  fine  old 
man  who  stood  before  him,  and  though  memory 
seemed  to  flit  around  the  truth,  it  was  in  gleams 
so  transient  as  completely  to  baffle  his  wishes 


40  THE    HEADSMAN. 

"  Dost  thou  deny  me,  de  Willading  ? — dost  thou 
refuse  to  own  the  friend  of  thy  youth — the  com 
panion  of  thy  pleasures — the  sharer  of  thy  sor 
rows — thy  comrade  in  the  wars — nay,  more— thy 
confidant  in  a  dearer  tie  ?" 

"  None  but  Gaetano  Grimaldi  himself  can  claim 
these  titles  !"  burst  from  the  lips  of  the  trembling 
baron. 

"  Am  I  aught  else  ? — am  I  not  this  Gaetano  ? — 
that  Gaetano — thy  Gaetano, — old  and  very  dear 
friend?" 

"  Thou  Gaetano !"  exclaimed  the  Bernois,  re 
coiling  a  step,  instead  of  advancing  to  meet  the 
eager  embrace  of  the  Genoese,  whose  impetuous 
feelings  were  little  cooled  by  time — "  thou,  the 
gallant,  active,  daring,  blooming  Grimaldi !  Sig- 
nore,  you  trifle  with  an  old  man's  affections." 

"  By  the  holy  mass,  I  do  not  deceive  thee  !  Ha, 
Marcelli,  he  is  slow  to  believe  as  ever,  but  fast  and 
certain  as  the  vow  of  a  churchman  when  con 
vinced.  If  we  are  to  distrust  each  other  for  a  few 
wrinkles,  thou  wilt  find  objections  rising  against 
thine  own  identity  as  well  as  against  mine,  friend 
Melchior.  I  am  none  other  than  Gaetano — the 
Gaetano  of  thy  youth — the  friend  thou  hast  not 
seen  these  many  long  and  weary  years." 

Recognition  was  slow  in  making  its  way  in  the 
mind  of  the  Bernese.  Lineament  after  lineament, 
however,  became  successively  known  to  him,  and 
most  of  all,  the  voice  served  to  awaken  long  dor 
mant  recollections.  But,  as  heavy  natures  are 
said  to  have  the  least  self-command  when  fairly 
excited,  so  did  the  baron  betray  the  most  ungov 
ernably  emotion  of  the  two,  when  conviction  came 
at  last  to  confirm  the  words  of  his  friend.  He 
threw  himself  on  the  neck  of  the  Genoese,  and  the 
oM  man  wept  in  a  manner  that  caused  him  to 


THE    HEADSMAN.  41 

withdraw  aside,  in  order  to  conceal  the  tears 
which  had  so  suddenly  and  profusely  broken  from 
fountains  that  he  had  long  thought  nearly  dried. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Ha,  cousin  Silence,  that  thou  hadst  seen 
That,  that  this  knight  and  I  have  seen ! 

King  Henry  IV. 

THE  calculating  patron  of  the  Winkelried  had 
patiently  watched  the  progress  of  the  foregoing 
scene  with  great  inward  satisfaction,  but  now  that 
the  strangers  seemed  to  be  assured  of  support 
powerful  as  that  of  Melchior  de  Willading,  he  was 
disposed  to  turn  it  to  account  without  farther  de 
lay.  The  old  men  were  still  standing  with  their 
hands  grasping  each  other,  after  another  warm 
and  still  closer  embrace,  and  with  tears  rolling 
down  the  furrowed  face  of  each,  when  Baptiste 
advanced  to  put  in  his  raven-like  remonstrance. 

"  Noble  gentlemen,"  he  said,  "  if  the  felicitations 
of  one  humble  as  1  can  add  to  the  pleasure  of 
this  happy  meeting,  I  beg  you  to  accept  them ;  but 
the  wind  has  no  heart  for  friendships  nor  any 
thought  for  the  gains  or  losses  of  us  watermen.  I 
feel  it  my  duty,  as  patron  of  the  bark,  to  recall  to 
your  honors  that  many  poor  travellers,  far  from 
their  homes  and  pining  families,  are  waiting  our 
leisure,  not  to  speak  of  foot-sore  pilgrims  and  other 
worthy  adventurers,  who  are  impatient  in  their 
hearts,  though  respect  for  their  superiors  keeps 
them  tongue-tied,  while  we  are  losing  the  best  of 
the  breeze." 

"  By  San  Francesco  !  the  varlet  is  right ;"  said 
the  Genoese,  hurriedly  erasing  the  marks  of  his 
D  2 


42  THE    HEADSMAN. 

recent  weakness  from  his  cheeks.     "  We  are  foi 
getful  of  all  these  worthy  people  while  joy  at  oui 
meeting  is  so  strong,  and  it  is  time  that  we  thought 
of  others.     Canst  thou  aid  me  in  dispensing  with 
the  city's  signatures  ?" 

The  Baron  de  Willading  paused ;  for  well-dis 
posed  at  first  to  assist  any  gentlemen  who  found 
themselves  in  an  unpleasant  embarrassment,  it  will 
be  readily  imagined  that  the  case  lost  none  of  its 
interest,  when  he  found  that  his  oldest  and  most 
tried  friend  was  the  party  in  want  of  his  influence. 
Still  it  was  much  easier  to  admit  the  force  of  this 
new  and  unexpected  appeal  than  to  devise  the 
means  of  success.  The  officer  was,  to  use  a  phrase 
which  most  men  seem  to  think  supplies  a  substitute 
for  reason  and  principle,  too  openly  committed  to 
render  it  probable  he  would  easily  yield.  It  was 
necessary,  however,  to  make  the  trial,  and  the 
baron,  therefore,  addressed  the  keeper  of  the 
water-gate  more  urgently  than  he  had  yet  done  in 
behalf  of  the  strangers. 

"  It  is  beyond  my  functions  ;  there  is  not  one  of 
our  Syndics  whom  I  would  more  gladly  oblige 
than  yourself,  noble  baron,"  answered  the  officer; 
"  but  the  duty  of  the  watchman  is  to  adhere  strict 
ly  to  the  commands  of  those  who  have  placed  him 
at  his  post." 

"  Gaetano,  we  are  not  the  men  to  complain  of 
this  !  We  have  stood  together  too  long  in  the  same 
trench,  and  have  too  often  slept  soundly,  in  situa 
tions  where  failure  in  this  doctrine  might  have  cost 
us  our  lives,  to  quarrel  with  the  honest  Genevese 
for  his  watchfulness.  To  be  frank,  'twere  little 
use  to  tamper  with  the  fidelity  of  a  Swiss  or  with 
that  of  his  ally." 

"  With  the  Swiss  that  is  well  paid  to  be  vigi 
lant  !"  answered  the  Genoese,  laughing  in  a  way 
!o  show  that  he  had  only  revived  one  of  thoso 


THE    HEADSMAN.  43 

standing  but  biting  jests,  that  they  who  love  each 
other  best  are  perhaps  most  accustomed  to  prac 
tice. 

The  Baron  de  Willading  took  the  facetiousness 
of  his  friend  in  good  part,  returning  the  mirth  of 
the  other  in  a  manner  to  show  that  the  allusion 
recalled  days  when  their  hours  had  idly  passed  in 
the  indulgence  of  spontaneous  outbreakings  o! 
animal  spirits. 

"  Were  this  thy  Italy,  Gaetano,  a  sequin  would 
not  only  supply  the  place  of  a  dozen  signatures, 
but,  by  the  name  of  thy  favorite,  San  Francesco  ! 
it  would  give  the  honest  gate-keeper  that  gift  of 
second-sight  on  which  the  Scottish  seers  are  said 
to  pride  themselves." 

«  Well,  the  two  sides  of  the  Alps  will  keep  then- 
characters,  even  though  we  quarrel  about  their 
virtues — but  we  shall  never  see  again  the  days 
that  we  have  known  !  Neither  the  games  of  Ve- 
vey,  nor  the  use  of  old  jokes,  will  make  us  the 
youths  we  have  been,  dear  de  Willading !" 

"Signore,  a  million  of  pardons,"  interrupted 
Baptiste,  "  but  this  western  wind  is  more  incon 
stant  even  than  the  spirits  of  the  young." 

"  The  rogue  is  again  right,  and  we  forget  yon 
der  cargo  of  honest  travellers,  who  are  wishing 
us  both  in  Abraham's  bosom,  for  keeping  the  im 
patient  bark  in  idleness  at  the  quay.^  Good  Mar- 
celli,  hast  thou  aught  to  suggest  in  this  strait  ?" 

"  Signore,  you  forget  that   we   have   another 
•-.document  that  may  be  found  sufficient"--the  per 
son  questioned,  who  appeared  to  fill  a  middle  sta 
tion  between  that  of  a  servant  and  that  of  a  com 
panion,  rather  hinted  than  observed  : 

"  Thou  sayest  true — and  yet  I  would  gladly 
avoid  producing  it — but  anything  is  better  than 
the  loss  of  thy  company,  Melchior." 

"  Name  it  not !  We  shall  not  separate,  tnough 


44  THE    HEADSMAN. 

the  Winkelried  rot  where  she  lies.  'Twere  easiei 
to  separate  our  faithful  cantons  than  two  such 
friends." 

"  Nay,  noble  baron,  you  forget  the  wearied  pil 
grims  and  the  many  anxious  travellers  in  the 
bark." 

"  If  twenty  crowns  will  purchase  thy  consent, 
honest  Baptiste,  we  will  have  no  further  discus 
sion." 

"  It  is  scarce  in  human  will  to  withstand  you, 
noble  Sir ! — Well,  the  pilgrims  have  weary  feet, 
and  rest  will  only  fit  them  the  better  for  the  pas 
sage  of  the  mountains ;  and  as  for  the  others,  why 
let  them  quit  the  bark  if  they  dislike  the  conditions. 
I  am  not  a  man  to  force  my  commerce  on  any." 

"  Nay,  nay,  I  will  have  none  of  this.  Keep  thy 
gold,  Melchior,  and  let  the  honest  Baptiste  keep 
his  passengers,  to  say  nothing  of  his  conscience." 

"  I  beseech  your  excellency,"  interrupted  Bap 
tiste,  "  not  to  distress  yourself  in  tenderness  for 
me.  I  am  ready  to  do  far  more  disagreeable 
things  to  oblige  so  noble  a  gentleman." 

"  I  will  none  of  it !  Signor  officer,  wilt  thou  do 
me  the  favor  to  cast  a  glance  at  this  ?" 

As  the  Genoese  concluded,  he  placed  in  the 
hands  of  the  watchman  at  the  gate,  a  paper  differ 
ent  from  that  which  he  had  first  shown.  The  of 
ficer  perused  the  new  instrument  with  deep  atten 
tion,  and,  when  half  through  its  contents,  his  eyes 
left  the  page  to  become  rivetted  in  respectful  at 
tention  on  the  face  of  the  expectant  Italian.  He. 
then  read  the  passport  to  the  end.  Raising  his  cap 
ceremoniously,  the  keeper  of  the  gate  left  the  pas 
sage  free,  bowing  with  deep  deference  to  the 
strangers. 

"  Had  I  sooner  known  this,"  he  said,  "  there 
would  have  been  no  delay.  I  hope  your  excel 
lency  will  conside  •  my  ignorance — ?" 


THE   HEADSMAN.  45 

"  Name  it  not,  friend.  Thou  hast  done  well ; 
in  proof  of  which  I  beg  thy  acceptance  of  a  small 
token  of  esteem." 

The  Genoese  dropped  a  sequin  into  the  hand  of 
the  officer,  passing  him,  at  the  same  time,  on  his 
way  to  the  waterside.  As  the  reluctance  of  the 
other  to  receive  gold  came  rather  from  a  love  of 
duty  than  from  any  particular  aversion  to  the 
metal  itself,  this  second  offering  met  with  a  more 
favorable  reception  than  the  first.  The  Baron  de 
Willading  was  not  without  surprise  at  the  sudden 
success  of  his  friend,  though  he  was  far  too  pru 
dent  and  well-bred  to  let  his  wonder  be  seen. 

Every  obstacle  to  the  departure  of  the  Winkel- 
ried  was  now  removed,  and  Baptiste  and  his  crew 
were  soon  actively  engaged  in  loosening  the  sails 
and  in  casting  off  the  fasts.  The  movement  of 
the  bark  was  at  first  slow  and  heavy,  for  the  wind 
was  intercepted  by  the  buildings  of  the  town ;  but, 
as  she  receded  from  the  shore,  the  canvass  began 
to  flap  and  belly,  and  ere  long  it  filled  outward 
with  a  report  like  that  of  a  musket ;  after  which 
the  motion  of  the  travellers  began  to  bear  some 
relation  to  their  nearly  exhausted  patience. 

Soon  after  the  party  which  had  been  so  long 
detained  at  the  water-gate  were  embarked,  Adel- 
heid  first  learned  the  reason  of  the  delay.  She 
had  long  known,  from  the  mouth  of  her  father,  the 
name  and  early  history  of  the  Signor  Grimaldi,  a 
Genoese  of  illustrious  family,  who  had  been  the 
sworn  friend  and  the  comrade  of  Melchior  de 
Willading,  when  the  latter  pursued  his  career  in 
arms  in  the  wars  of  Italy.  These  circumstances  hav 
ing  passed  long  before  her  own  birth,  and  even  be 
fore  the  marriage  of  her  parents,  and  she  being  the 
youngest  and  the  only  survivor  of  a  numerous  family 
of  children,  they  were,  as  respected  herself,  events 
that  already  began  to  assume  the  hue  of  history. 


46  THE    HEADSMAN. 

She  received  the  old  man  frankly  and  even  with 
affection,  though  in  his  yielding  but  still  fine  form, 
she  had  quite  as  much  difficulty  as  her  father  in 
recognizing  the  young,  gay,  gallant,  brilliant,  and 
handsome  Gaetano  Grimaldi  that  her  imagination 
had  conceived  from  the  verbal  descriptions  she 
had  so  often  heard,  and  from  her  fancy  was  still 
wont  to  draw  as  he  was  painted  in  the  affectionate 
descriptions  of  her  father.  When  he  suddenly  and 
affectionately  offered  a  kiss,  the  color  flushed  her 
face,  for  no  man  but  he  to  whom  she  owed  her  be 
ing  had  ever  before  taken  that  liberty ;  but,  after 
an  instant  of  virgin  embarrassment,  she  laughed, 
and  blushingly  presented  her  cheek  to  receive  the 
salute. 

"  The  last  tidings  I  had  of  thee,  Melchior,"  said 
the  Italian,  "  was  the  letter  sent  by  the  Swiss  Am 
bassador,  who  took  our  city  in  his  way  as  he  travel 
ed  south,  and  which  was  written  on  the  occasion 
of  the  birth  of  this  very  girl." 

"  Not  of  this,  dear  friend,  but  of  an  elder  sister, 
who  is,  long  since,  a  cherub  in  heaven.  Thou 
seest  the  ninth  precious  gift  that  God  bestowed, 
and  thou  seest  all  that  is  now  left  of  his  bounty." 

The  countenance  of  the  Signor  Grimaldi  lost 
its  joyousness,  and  a  deep  pause  in  the  discourse 
succeeded.  They  lived  in  an  age  when  communi 
cations  between  friends  that  were  separated  by 
distance,  and  by  the  frontiers  of  different  states, 
were  rare  and  uncertain.  The  fresh  and  novel 
affections  of  marriage  had  first  broken  an  inter 
course  that  was  continued,  under  such  disadvan 
tages  as  marked  the  period,  long  after  their  duties 
called  them  different  ways;  and  time,  with  its 
changes  and  the  embarrassments  of  wars,  had 
finally  destroyed  nearly  every  link  in  the  chain  of 
their  correspondence.  Each  had,  therefore,  much 
of  a  near  and  interesting  character  to  communi- 


THE    HEADSMAN.  47 

oate  to  the  other,  and  each  dreaded  to  speak,  lest 
he  might  cause  some  wound,  that  was  notpeifect- 
ly  healed,  to  bleed  anew.  The  volume  of  matter 
conveyed  in  the  few  words  uttered  by  the  Biron 
de  Willading,  showed  both  in  how  many  ways 
they  might  inflict  pain  without  intention,  and  how 
necessary  it  was  to  be  guarded  in  their  discourse 
during  the  first  days  of  their  renewed  intercom  se, 

"  This  girl  at  least  is  a  treasure  of  itself,  of 
which  I  must  envy  thee  the  possession,"  the  S'g- 
nor  Grimaldi  at  length  rejoined. 

The  Swiss  made  one  of  those  quick  movements 
which  betray  surprise,  and  it  was  very  apparent, 
that,  just  at  the  moment,  he  was  more  affected  by- 
some  interest  of  his  friend,  than  by  the  apprehen 
sions  which  usually  beset  him  when  any  very  di 
rect  allusion  was  made  to  his  surviving  child. 

"  Gaetano,  thou  hast  a  son !" 

"  He  is  lost — hopelessly — irretrievably  lost — at 
least,  to  me !" 

These  were  brief  but  painful  glimpses  into  each 
other's  concerns,  and  another  melancholy  and  em 
barrassed  pause  followed.  As  the  Baron  de  Wil 
lading  witnessed  the  sorrow  that  deeply  shadowed 
the  face  of  the  Genoese,  he  almost  felt  that  Provi 
dence,  in  summoning  his  own  boys  to  early  graves, 
might  have  spared  him  the  still  bitterer  grief  of 
mourning  over  the  unworthiness  of  a  living  son. 

"  These  are  God's  decrees,  Melchior,"  the  Italian 
continued  of  his  own  accord,  "  and  we ,  as  soldiers, 
as  men,  and  more  than  either,  as  Christians, 
should  know  how  to  submit.  The  letter,  of  which 
I  spoke,  contained  the  last  direct  tidings  that  I  re 
ceived  of  thy  welfare,  though  different  traveller 
have  mentioned  thee  as  among  the  honored  and 
trusted  of  thy  country,  without  descending  to  the 
particulars  of  thy  private  life." 

"  The  retirement  of  our  mountains,  and  the  little 


48  THE    HEADSMAN 

intercourse  of  strangers  with  the  Swiss,  have  de 
nied  me  even  this  meagre  satisfaction  as  respects 
thee  and  thy  fortunes.     Since  the  especial  courier 
sent,  according  to  our  ancient  agreement,  to  an 
nounce- " 

The  baron  hesitated,  for  he  felt  he  was  again 
touching  on  forbidden  ground. 

"  To  announce  the  birth  of  my  unhappy  boy," 
continued  the  Signor  Grimaldi,  firmly. 

"To  announce  that  much-wished-for  event,  I 
have  not  had  news  of  thee,  except  in  a  way  so 
vague,  as  to  whet  the  desire  to  know  more  rather 
than  to  appease  the  longings  of  love." 

"  These  doubts  are  the  penalties  that  friendship 
pays  to  separation.  We  enlist  the  affections  in 
youth  with  the  recklessness  of  hope,  and,  when 
called  different  ways  by  duties  or  interest,  we  first 
begin  to  perceive  that  the  world  is  not  the  heaven 
we  thought  it,  but  that  each  enjoyment  has  its 
price,  as  each  grief  has  its  solace.  Thou  hast  car 
ried  arms  since  we  were  soldiers  in  company  ?" 

"  As  a  Swiss  only." 

The  answer  drew  a  gleam  of  habitual  humor 
from  the  keen  eye  of  the  Italian,  whose  counte 
nance  was  apt  to  change  as  rapidly  as  his  thoughts. 

"  In  what  service  ?" 

"  Nay,  a  truce  to  thy  old  pleasantries,  good  Gri 
maldi— and  yet  I  should  scarce  love  thee,  as  I  do, 
wert  thou  other  than  thou  art !  I  believe  we  come 
at  last  to  prize  even  the  foibles  of  those  we  truly 
esteem !" 

"It  must  be  so,  young  lady,  or  boyish  follies 
would  long  since  have  weaned  thy  father  from  me. 
I  have  never  spared  him  on  the  subjects  of  snows 
and  money,  and  yet  he  beareth  with  me  marvel 
lously.  Well,  strong  love  endureth  much.  Hath 
the  baron  often  spoken  to  thee  of  old  Grimaldi— 


THE    HEADSMAN.  40 

young  Grimaldi,  I  .should  say — and  of  the  many 
freaks  of  our  thoughtless  days  V9 

"So  much,  Signore,"  returned  Adelheid,  who 
had  wept  and  smiled  by  turns  during  the  interrupt 
ed  dialogue  of  her  father  and  his  friend,  "  that  I 
can  repeat  most  of  your  youthful  histories.  The 
castle  of  Willading  is  deep  among  the  mountains, 
and  it  is  rare  indeed  for  the  foot  of  stranger  to  en 
ter  its  gates.  During  the  long  evenings  of  our  se 
vere  winters,  I  have  listened  as  a  daughter  would 
be  apt  to  listen  to  the  recital  of  most  of  your  com 
mon  adventures,  and  in  listening,  I  have  not  only 
learned  to  know,  but  to  esteem,  one  that  is  justly 
so  dear  to  my  parent." 

"  I  make  no  doubt,  now,  thou  hast  the  history  of 
the  plunge  into  the  canal,  by  over-stooping  to  see 
the  Venetian  beauty,  at  thy  finger's  ends  ?" 

"  I  do  remember  some  such  act  of  humid  gal 
lantry,"  returned  Adelheid,  laughing. 

"  Did  thy  father  tell  thee,  child,  of  the  manner  in 
which  he  bore  me  off  in  a  noble  rescue  from  a 
deadly  charge  of  the  Imperial  cavalry  ?" 

"  I  have  heard  some  light  allusion  to  such  an 
event,  too,"  returned  Adelheid,  evidently  trying 
to  recall  the  history  of  the  affair,  to  her  mind, 
«  but " 

"  Light  does  he  call  it,  and  of  small  account  ?  I 
wish  never  to  see  another  as  heavy !  This  is  the 
impartiality  of  thy  narratives,  good  Melchior,  in 
which  a  life  preserved,  wounds  received,  and  a 
charge  to  make  the  German  quai!,  are  set  down  as 
matters  to  be  touched  with  a  light  hand  !" 

"  If  I  did  thee  this  service,  it  was  more  than  de 
served  by  the  manner  in  which,  before  Milan " 

"  Well,  let  it  all  pass  together.  We  are  old  fools, 
young  lady,  and  should  we  get  garrulous  in  each 
other's  praise,  thou  mightest  mistake  us  for  brag 
garts;  a  character  that,  in  truth,  neither  wholly 


50  THE    HEADSMAN. 

merits.    Didst  thou  ever  tell  the  girl,  Melchior,  of 
our  mad  excursion  into  the  forests  of  the  Apennines, 
"n  search  of  a  Spanish  lady  that  had  fallen  into  the 
hands  of  banditti ;  and  how  we  passed  weeks  on  a 
foolish  enterprise  of  errantry,  that  had  become  use 
less,  by  the  timely  application  of  a  few  sequins  o 
the  part  of  the  husband,  even  before  we  started 
on  the  chivalrous,  not  to  say  silly,  excursion  ?" 

"  Say  chivalrous,  but  not  silly,"  answered  Adel- 
heid,  with  the  simplicity  of  a  young  and  sincere 
mind.  "  Of  this  adventure  I  have  heard ;  but  to 
me  it  has  never  seemed  ridiculous.  A  generous 
motive  might  well  excuse  an  undertaking  of  less 
favorable  auspices." 

"  'Tis  fortunate,"  returned  the  Signor  Grimaldi, 
thoughtfully,  "  that,  if  youth  and  exaggerated  opin 
ions  lead  us  to  commit  mad  pranks  under  the  name 
of  spirit  and  generosity,  there  are  other  youthful 
and  generons  minds  to  reflect  our  sentiments  and 
to  smile  upon  our  folly." 

"  This  is  more  like  the  wary  grey-headed  ex 
pounder  of  wisdom  than  like  the  hot-headed  Gae- 
tano  Grimaldi  of  old !"  exclaimed  the  baron,  though 
he  laughed  while  uttering  the  words,  as  if  he  felt, 
at  least  a  portion  of  the  other's  indifference  to 
those  exaggerated  feelings  that  had  entered  much 
into  the  characters  of  both  in  youth.  "  The 
time  has  been  when  the  words,  policy  and  calcu 
lation,  would  have  cost  a  companion  thy  favor !" 

"  'Tis  said  that  the  prodigal  of  twenty  makes 
the  rniser  of  seventy.  It  is  certain  that  even  our 
southern  sun  does  not  warm  the  blood  of  threescore 
as  suddenly  as  it  heats  that  of  one.  But  we  will 
not  darken  thy  daughter's  views  of  the  future  by  a 
picture  too  faithfully  drawn,  lest  she  become  wise 
before  her  time.  I  have  often  questioned,  Mel 
chior,  which  is  the  most  precious  gift  of  nature,  n 
warm  fancy,  or  the  colder  powers  of  reason.  But 


THE   HEADSMAN.  51 

if  I  must  say  which  I  most  love,  the  point  be 
comes  less  difficult  of  decision.  I  would  prefer  each 
in  its  season,  or  rather  the  two  united,  with  a 
gradual  change  in  their  influence.  Let  the  youth 
commence  with  the  first  in  the  ascendant,  and  close 
with  the  last.  He  who  begins  life  too  cold  a  rea- 
soner  may  end  it  a  calculating  egotist;  and  he 
who  is  ruled  solely  by  his  imagination  is  in  danger 
of  having  his  mind  so  ripened  as  to  bring  forth  the 
fruits  of  a  visionary.  Had  it  pleased  heaven  to 
have  left  me  the  dear  son  I  possessed  for  so  short 
a  period,  I  would  rather  have  seen  him  leaning  to 
the  side  of  exaggeration  in  his  estimate  of  men, 
before  experience  came  to  chill  his  hopes,  than  to 
see  him  scan  his  fellows  with  a  too  philosophical 
eye  in  boyhood.  'Tis  said  we  are  but  clay  at  the 
best,  but  the  ground,  before  it  has  been  well  tilled, 
sends  forth  the  plants  that  are  most  congenial  to 
its  soil,  and  though  it  be  of  no  great  value,  give 
me  the  spontaneous  and  generous  growth  of  the 
weed,  which  proves  the  depth  of  the  loam,  rather 
than  a  stinted  imitation  of  that  which  cultivation 
may,  no  doubt,  render  more  useful  if  not  more 
grateful." 

The  allusion  to  his  lost  son  caused  another  cloud 
to  pass  athwart  the  brow  of  the  Genoese. 

"  Thou  seest,  Adelheid,"  he  continued,  after  a 
pause — "  for  Adelheid  will  I  call  thee,  in  virtue  of 
a  second  father's  rights — that  we  are  making  our 
folly  respectable,  at  least  to  ourselves — Master 
Patron,  thou  hast  a  well-charged  bark !" 

"  Thanks  to  your  two  honors  ;"  answered  Bap- 
tiste,  who  stood  at  the  helm,  near  the  group  01 
principal  passengers.  "  These  windfalls  come 
rarely  to  the  poor,  and  we  must  make  much  of  such 
as  offer.  The  games  at  Vevey  have  called  every 
craft  on  the  Leman  to  the  upper  end  of  the  lake, 
and  a  little  mother-wit  led  me  to  trust  to  the  ^ast 


52  THE    HEADSMAN. 

turn  of  the  wheel,  which,  as  you  see,  Signore,  has 
not  come  up  a  blank." 

"  Have  many  strangers  passed  by  your  city  or 
their  way  to  these  sports  t" 

"  Many  hundreds,  noble  gentleman ;  and  report 
«peaks  of  thousands  that  are  collecting  at  Vevey 
and  in  the  neighboring  villages.  The  country  o; 
Vaud  has  not  had  a  richer  harvest  from  her  game? 
this  many  a  year." 

It  is  fortunate,  Melchior,  that  the  desire  to  wit 
ness  these  revels  should  have  arisen  in  us  at  the 
same  moment.  The  hope  of  at  last  obtaining  cer 
tain  tidings  of  thy  welfare  was  the  chief  induce 
ment  that  caused  me  to  steal  from  Genoa,  whither 
I  am  compelled  to  return  forthwith.  There  is 
truly  something  providential  in  this  meeting !" 

"  I  so  esteem  it,"  returned  the  Baron  de  Willa- 
ding ;  "  though  the  hope  of  soon  embracing  thee 
was  strongly  alive  in  me.  Thou  art  mistaken  in 
fancying  that  curiosity,  or  a  wish  to  mingle  with 
the  multitude  at  Vevey,  has  drawn  me  from  my 
castle.  Italy  was  in  my  eye,  .as  it  has  long  been 
in  my  heart." 

"How!— Italy?" 

"  Nothing  less.  This  fragile  plant  of  the  moun 
tains  has  drooped  of  late  in  her  native  air,  and 
skilful  advisers  have  counselled  the  sunny  side  01 
the  Alps  as  a  shelter  to  revive  her  animation.  I 
have  promised  Roger  de  Blonay  to  pass  a  night  or 
two  within  his  ancient  walls,  and  then  we  aro  des 
tined  to  seek  the  hospitality  of  the  monks  of  St. 
Bernard.  Like  thee,  I  had  hoped  this  unusual  sortie 
from  my  hold  might  lead  to  intelligence  touching 
the  fortunes  of  one  I  have  never  ceased  to  love." 

The  Signor  Grimaldi  turned  a  more  scrutinizing 
look  towards  the  face  of  their  female  companion. 
Her  gentle  and  winning  beauty  gave  him  pleasure; 
but,  with  his  attention  quickened  by  what  had  just 


THE    HEADSMAff.  53 

fallen  from  her  father,'  he  traced,  in  silent  pain,  the 
signs  of  that  early  fading  which  threatened  to  in 
clude  this  last  hope  of  his  friend  in  the  common 
fate  of  the  family.  Disease  had  not,  however,  set 
its  seal  on  the  sweet  face  of  Adelheid,  in  a  manner 
to  attract  the  notice  of  a  common  observer.  The 
lessening  of  the  bloom,  the  mournful  character  of 
a  dove-like  eye,  and  a  look  of  thoughtfulness,  on  a 
brow  that  he  had  ever  known  devoid  of  care  and 
open  as  day  with  youthful  ingenuousness,  were  the 
symptoms  that  first  gave  the  alarm  to  her  father, 
whose  previous  losses,  and  whose  solitariness,  as 
respects  the  ties  of  the  world,  had  rendered  him 
keenly  alive  to  impressions  of  such  a  nature.  The 
reflections  excited  by  this  examination  brought 
painful  recollections  to  all,  and  it  was  long  before 
the  discourse  was  renewed. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  Winkelried  was  not  idle. 
As  the  vessel  receded  from  the  cover  of  the  build 
ings  and  the  hills,  the  force  of  the  breeze  was  felt, 
and  her  speed  became  quickened  in  proportion; 
though  the  watermen  of  her  crew  often  studied  the 
manner  in  which  she  dragged  her  way  through  the 
element  with  a  shake  of  the  head,  that  was  intend 
ed  to  express  their  consciousness  that  too  much 
had  been  required  of  the  craft.  The  cupidity  of 
Baptiste  had  indeed  charged  his  good  bark  to  the 
uttermost.  The  water  was  nearly  on  a  line  with 
the  low  stern,  and  when  the  bark  had  reached  a 
part  of  the  lake  where  the  waves  were  rolling  with 
some  force,  it  was  found  that  the  vast  weight  was 
too  much  to  be  lifted  by  the  feeble  and  broken  efforts 
of  these  miniature  seas.  The  consequences  were, 
however,  more  vexatious  than  alarming.  A  few 
wet  feet  among  the  less  quiet,  of  the  passengers, 
with  an  occasional  slapping  of  a  sheet  of  water 
against  the  gangways,  and  a  consequent  drift  oi 
spray  across  the  pile  of  human  heads  in  the  centre 
E2 


54  THE    HEADSMAN. 

of  the  bark,  were  all  the  immediate  personal  in, 
conveniencies.  Still  unjustifiable  greediness  of  gain, 
had  tempted  the  patron  to  commit  the  unseaman- 
like  fault  of  overloading  his  vessel.  The  decrease 
of  speed  was  another  and  a  graver  consequence 
of  his  cupidity,  since  it  might  prevent  their  arrival 
in  port  before  the  breeze  had  expended  itself. 

The  lake  of  Geneva  lies  nearly  in  the  form  of  a 
crescent,  stretching  from  the  south-west  towards 
the  north-east.  Its  northern,  or  the  Swiss  shore, 
is  chiefly  what  is  called,  in  the  language  of  the 
country,  a  cote,  or  a  declivity  that  admits  of  cul 
tivation;  and,  with  few  exceptions,  it  has  been, 
since  the  earliest  periods  of  history,  planted  with 
the  generous  vine.  Here  the  Romans  had  many 
stations  and  posts,  vestiges  of  which  are  still  visi 
ble.  The  confusion  and  the  mixture  of  interests 
that  succeeded  the  fall  of  the  empire,  gave  rise, 
in  the  middle  ages,  to  various  baronial  castles,  ec 
clesiastical  towns,  and  towers  of  defence,  which 
still  stand  on  the  margin  of  this  beautiful  sheet  of 
water,  or  ornament  the  eminences  a  little  inland. 
At  the  time  of  which  we  write,  the  whole  coast 
of  the  Leman,  if  so  imposing  a  word  may  be  ap 
plied  to  the  shores  of  so  small  a  body  of  water, 
was  in  the  possession  of  the  three  several  states 
of  Geneva,  Savoy,  and  Berne.  The  first  con 
sisted  of  a  mere  fragment  of  territory  at  the  west 
ern,  or  lower  horn  of  the  crescent;  the  second 
occupied  nearly  the  whole  of  the  southern  side  of 
the  sheet,  or  the  cavity  of  the  half-moon ;  while 
the  latter  was  mistress  of  the  whole  of  the  convex 
border,  and  of  the  eastern  horn.  The  shores  of 
Savoy  are  composed,  with  immaterial  exceptions, 
of  advanced  spurs  of  the  high  Alps,  among  which 
towers  Mont  Blanc,  like  a  sovereign  seated  in 
majesty  in  the  midst  of  a  brilliant  court,  the  rocks 
frequently  rising  from  the  water's  edge  in  perpen- 


THE    HEADSMAN.  55 

dicular  masses.  None  of  the  lakes  of  this  re- 
markuble  region  possess  a  greater  variety  of 
scenery  than  that  of  Geneva,  which  changes  from 
the  smiling  aspect  of  fertility  and  cultivation,  at 
its  lower  extremity,  to  the  sublimity  of  a  savage 
and  sublime  nature  at  its  upper.  Vevey,  the  haven 
for  which  the  Winkelried  was  bound,  lies  at  the 
distance  of  three  leagues  from  the  head  of  the 
lake,  or  the  point  where  it  receives  the  Rhone ; 
and  Geneva,  the  port  from  which  the  reader  has 
just  seen  her  take  her  departure,  is  divided  by  that 
river  as  it  glances  out  of  the  blue  basin  of  the  Le- 
man  again,  to  traverse  the  fertile  fields  of  France, 
on  its  hurried  course  towards  the  distant  Mediter 
ranean. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  currents  of  air,  on  all 
bodies  of  water  that  lie  amid  high  and  broken 
mountains,  are  uncertain  both  as  to  their  direction 
and  their  force.  This  was  the  difficulty  which 
had  most  disturbed  Baptiste  during  the  delay  of 
the  bark,  for  the  experienced  waterman  well  knew 
it  required  the  first  and  the  freest  effort  of  the  wind 
to  "  drive  the  breeze  home,"  as  it  is  called  by  sea- 
.  men,  against  the  opposing  currents  that  frequently 
descend  from  the  mountains  which  surrounded  his 
port.  In  addition  to  this  difficulty,  the  shape  of 
the  lake  was  another  reason  why  the  winds  rarely 
blow  in  the  same  direction  over  the  whole  of  its 
surface  at  the  same  time.  Strong  and  continued 
gales  commonly  force  themselves  down  into  the 
deep  basin,  and  push  their  way,  against  all  resist 
ance,  into  every  crevice  of  the  rocks ;  but  a  power 
less  than  this,  rarely  succeeds  in  favoring  the  bark 
with  the  same  breeze,  from  the  entrance  to  the 
outlet  of  the  Rhone. 

As  a  consequence  of  these  peculiarities,  the  pas 
sengers  of  the  Winkelried  had  early  evidence  that 
they  had  trifled  too  long  with  the  fickle  air.  The 


56  THE    HEADSMAN. 

breeze  carried  them  up  abreast  of  Lausanne  in 
good  season,  but  here  the  influence  of  the  moun= 
tains  began  to  impair  its  force,  and,  by  the  time 
the  sun  had  a  little  fallen  towards  the  long,  dark, 
even  line  of  the  Jura,  the  good  vessel  was  driven 
to  the  usual  expedients  of  jibing  and  hauling-in  of 
sheets. 

Baptiste  had  only  to  blame  his  own  cupidity  for 
this  disappointment;  and  the  consciousness  that, 
had  he  complied  with  the  engagement,  made  on 
the  previous  evening  with  the  mass  of  his  passen 
gers,  to  depart  with  the  dawn,  he  should  now  have 
been  in  a  situation  to  profit  by  any  turn  of  fortune 
that  was  likely  to  arise  from  the  muftitmJeof  stran 
gers  who  were  in  Vevey,  rendered  him  moody. 
As  is  usual  with  the  headstrong  and  selfish  when 
they  possess  the  power,  others  were  made  to  pay 
for  the  fault  that  he  alone  had  committed.  His 
men  were  vexed  with  contradictory  and  useless 
orders ;  the  inferior  passengers  were  accused  of 
constant  neglect  of  his  instructions,  a  fault  which 
he  did  not  hesitate  to  affirm  had  caused  the  bark 
to  sail  less  swiftly  than  usual,  and  he  no  longer 
even  answered  the  occasional  questions  of  those 
for  whom  he  felt  habitual  deference,  with  his  for 
mer  respect  and  readiness. 


CHAPTER  ]V. 

Thnce  to  thine,  and  thrice  to  mine. 
And  thrice  again,  to  make  up  nine 

MACBETH. 

BAFFLING  and  light  airs  kept  the  Winkelried  a 
long  time  nearly  stationary,  and  it  was  only  by 
paying  the  greatest  attention  to  trimming  the  sails 
and  to  all  the  little  minutia3  of  the  waterman's  .  rt, 


THE    HEADSMAtf .  57 

that  the  vessel  was  worked  into  the  eastern  horn 
of  the  crescent,  as  the  sun  touched  the  hazy  line 
of  the  Jura.  Here  the  wind  failed  entirely,  the 
surface  of  the  lake  becoming  as  glassy  and  smooth 
as  a  mirror,  and  further  motion,  for  the  time  at 
least,  was  quite  out  of  the  question.  The  crew, 
perceiving  the  hopelessness  of  their  exertions,  and 
fatigued  with  the  previous  toil,  threw  themselves 
among  the  boxes  and  bales,  and  endeavored  to 
catch  a  little  sleep,  in  anticipation  of  the  north 
breeze,  which,  at  this  season  of  the  year,  usually 
blew  from  the  shores  of  Vaud  within  an  hour  or 
two  of  the  disappearance  of  the  sun. 

The  deck  of  the  bark  was  now  left  to  the  un 
disputed  possession  of  her  passengers.  The  day 
had  latterly  been  sultry,  for  the  season,  the  even 
water  having  cast  back  the  hot  rays  in  fierce  re 
flection,  and,  as  evening  drew  on,  a  refreshing 
coolness  came  to  relieve  the  densely  packed  and 
scorching  travellers.  The  effect  of  such  a  change 
was  like  that  which  would  have  been  observed 
among  a  flock  of  heavily  fleeced  sheep,  which; 
after  gasping  for  breath  beneath  trees  and  hedges, 
during  the  time  of  the  sun's  power,  are  seen  scat 
tering  over  their  pastures  to  feed,  or  to  play  their 
antics,  as  a  grateful  shade  succeeds  to  cool  their 
panting  sides. 

Baptiste,  as  is  but  too  apt  to  be  the  case  with 
men  possessed  of  brief  authority,  during  the  day 
had  mercilessly  played  the  tyrant  with  all  the  pas 
sengers  that  were  beneath  the  privileged  degrees, 
more  than  once  threatening  to  come  to  extreuri- 
ties  with  several,  who  had  betrayed  restlessness 
under  the  restraint  and  suffering  of  their  unaccus 
tomed  situation.  Perhaps  there  is  no  man  who 
feels  less  for  the  complaints  of  the  novice  than 
your  weather-beaten  and  hardened  mariner ;  for, 
familiarized  to  the  suffering  and  confinement  of  a 


58  THE   HEADSMAN. 

vessel,  and  at  liberty  himself  to  seek  relief  in  his 
duties  and  avocations,  he  can  scarcely  enler  into 
the  privations  and  embarrassments  of  those  to 
whom  all  is  so  new  and  painful.  But,  in  the  pa 
tron  of  the  Winkelried,  there  existed  a  natural  in 
difference  to  the  grievances  of  others,  and  a  nai- 
row  selfishness  of  disposition,  in  aid  of  the  opinions 
which  had  been  formed  by  a  life  of  hardship  and 
exposure.  He  considered  the  vulgar  passenger 
as  so  much  troublesome  freight,  which,  while  it 
brought  the  advantage  of  a  higher  remuneration 
than  the  same  cubic  measurement  of  inanimate 
matter,  had  the  unpleasant  drawback  of  volition 
and  motion.  With  this  general  tendency  to  bully 
and  intimidate,  the  wary  patron  had,  however, 
made  a  silent  exception  in  favor  of  the  Italian, 
who  has  introduced  himself  to  the  reader  by  the 
ill-omened  name  of  II  Maledetto,  or  the  accursed. 
This  formidable  personage  had  enjoyed  a  perfect 
immunity  from  the  effects  of  Baptiste's  tyranny, 
which  he  had  been  able  to  establish  by  a  very 
simple  and  quiet  process.  Instead  of  cowering  at 
the  fierce  glance,  or  recoiling  at  the  rude  remon 
strances  of  the  churlish  patron,  he  had  chosen  his 
time,  when  the  latter  was  in  one  of  his  hottest 
ebullitions  of  anger,  and  when  maledictions  and 
menaces  flowed  out  of  his  mouth  in  torrents,  coolly 
to  place  himself  on  the  very  spot  that  the  other 
had  proscribed,  where  he  maintained  his  ground 
with  a  quietness  and  composure  which  it  might 
have  been  difficult  to  say  was  more  to  be  imputed 
to  extreme  ignorance,  or  to  immeasurable  con 
tempt.  At  least  so  reasoned  the  spectators ;  some 
thinking  that  the  stranger  meant  to  bring  affairs  to 
a  speedy  issue  by  braving  the  patron's  fury,  and 
others  charitably  inferring  that  he  knew  no  better 
But  thus  did  not  Baptiste  reason  himself.  He  saw 
by  the  calm  eye  and  resolute  demeanor  of  his  pas- 


THE    HEADSMAN.  50 

senger  that  he  himself,  his  pretended  professional 
difficulties,  his  captiousness,  and  his  threats,  were 
alike  despised ;  and  he  shrank  from  collision  with 
?uch  a  spirit,  precisely  on  the  principle  that  the  in- 
imidated  among  the  rest  of  the  travellers  shrunk 
rom  a  contest  with  his  own.  From  this  moment 
II  Maledetto,  or,  as  he  was  called  by  Baptiste  him 
self,  who  it  would  appear  had  some  knowledge  of 
his  person,  Maso,  became  as  completely  the  mas 
ter  of  his  own  movements,  as  if  he  had  been  one 
of  the  more  honored  in  the  stern  of  the  bark,  or 
even  her  patron.  He  did  not  abuse  his  advantage, 
however,  rarely  quitting  the  indicated  station  near 
his  own  effects,  where  he  had  been  mainly  content 
to  repose  in  listless  indolence,  like  the  others,  dozing 
away  the  minutes. 

But  the  scene  was  now  altogether  changed. 
The  instant  the  wrangling,  discontented,  and  un- 
nappy,  because  disappointed,  patron,  confessed  his 
inability  to  reach  his  port  before  the  coming  of 
the  expected  night-breeze,  and  threw  himself  on 
a  bale,  to  conceal  his  dissatisfaction  in  sleep,  head 
arose  after  head  from  among  the  pile  of  freight, 
and  body  after  body  followed  the  nobler  member, 
until  the  whole  mass  was  alive  with  human  beings. 
The  invigorating  coolness,  the  tranquil  hour,  the 
prospect  of  a  safe  if  not  a  speedy  arrival,  and  the 
relief  from  excessive  weariness,  produced  a  sud 
den  and  agreeable  re-action  in  the  feelings  of  all. 
Even  the  Baron  de  Willading  and  his  friends,  who 
had  shared  in  none  of  the  especial  privations  just 
named,  joined  in  the  general  exhibition  of  satis 
faction  and  gootf-will,  rather  aiding  by  their  smiles 
and  affability  than  restraining  by  their  presence 
the  whims  and  jokes  of  the  different  individuals 
among  the  motley  group  of  their  nameless  com 
panions. 

The  asped  and  position  of  the  bark,  as  woil  as 


60  THE    HEADSMAN. 

the  prospects  of  those  on  board  as  they  were  con 
nected  with  their  arrival,  now  deserve  to  be  more 
particularly  mentioned.  The  manner  in  which 
the  vessel  was  loaded  to  the  water's  edge  has 
already  been  more  than  once  alluded  to.  Th 
whole  of  the  centre  of  the  broad  deck,  a  portio 
of  the  Winkelried  which,  owing  to  the  over-hang 
ing  gangways,  possessed,  in  common  with  all  the 
similar  craft  of  the  Leman,  a  greater  width  than 
is  usual  in  vessels  of  the  same  tonnage  elsewhere, 
was  so  cumbered  with  freight  as  barely  to  leave  a 
passage  to  the  crew,  forward  and  aft,  by  stepping 
among  the  boxes  and  bales  that  were  piled  much 
higher  than  their  own  heads.  A  little  vacant 
space  was  left  near  the  stern,  in  which  it  was  pos 
sible  for  the  party  who  occupied  that  part  of  the 
deck  to  move,  though  in  sufficiently  straitened 
limits,  while  the  huge  tiller  played  in  its  semicir 
cle  behind.  At  the  other  extremity,  as  is  abso 
lutely  necessary  in  all  navigation,  the  forecastle 
was  reasonably  clear,  though  even  this  important 
part  of  the  deck  was  bristling  with  the  flukes  of 
no  less  than  nine  anchors  that  lay  in  a  row  across 
its  breadth,  the  wild  roadsteads  of  this  end  of 
the  lake  rendering  such  a  provision  of  ground- 
tackle  absolutely  indispensable  to  the  safety  of 
every  craft  that  ventured  into  its  eastern  horn. 
The  effect  of  the  whole,  seen  as  it  was  in  a  state 
of  absolute  rest,  was  to  give  to  the  Winkelried  the 
appearance  of  a  small  mound  in  the  midst  of  the 
water,  that  was  crowded  with  human  beings,  and 
seemingly  so  incorporated  with  the  element  on 
which  it  floated  as  to  grow  out  of  its  bosom ;  an 
image  that  the  fancy  was  not  slow  to  form,  aided 
as  it  was  by  ihe  reflection  of  the  mass  that  the 
unruffled  lake  threw  back  from  its  mirror-like  face, 
as  perfectly  formed,  as  unwieldy,  and  nearly  as 
Distinct,  as  the  original  To  this  picture  of  a  mo 


THE    HEADSMAN.  61 

tionless  rock,  or  island,  the  spars,  sails,  and  high, 
pointed  beak,  however,  formed  especial  excep 
tions.  The  yards  hung,  as  seamen  term  it,  a 
cockbill,  or  in  such  negligent  and  picturesque  po 
sitions  as  an  artist  would  most  love  to  draw,  while 
the  drapery  of  the  canvass  was  suspended  in  grace 
ful  and  spotless  festoons,  as  it  had  fallen  by  chance,  or 
been  cast  carelessly  from  the  hands  of  the  boatmen. 
The  beak,  or  prow,  rose  in  its  sharp  gallant  stem, 
resembling  the  stately  neck  of  a  swan,  slightly 
swerving  from  its  direction,  or  inclining  in  a 
nearly  imperceptible  sweep,  as  the  hull  yielded  to 
the  secret  influence  of  the  varying  currents. 

When  the  teeming  pile  of  freight,  therefore, 
began  so  freely  to  bring  forth,  and  traveller  after 
traveller  left  his  wallet,  there  was  no  great  space 
found  in  which  they  could  stretch  their  wearied 
limbs,  or  seek  the  change  they  needed.  But  suf 
fering  is  a  good  preparative  for  pleasure,  and 
there  is  no  sweetner  of  liberty  like  previous  con 
finement.  Baptiste  was  no  sooner  heard  to  snore, 
than  the  whole  hummock  of  cargo  was  garnished 
with  upright  bodies  and  stretching  arms  and  legs, 
as  mice  are  known  to  steal  from  their  holes  during 
the  slumbers  of  their  mortal  enemy,  the  cat. 

The  reader  has  been  made  sufficiently  acquaint 
ed  with  the  moral  composition  of  the  Winkelried's 
living  freight,  in  the  opening  chapter.  As  it  had 
undergone  no  other  alteration  than  that  produced 
by  lassitude,  he  is  already  prepared,  therefore,  to 
renew  his  communications  with  its  different  mem 
bers,  all  of  whom  were  well  disposed  to  show  off 
in  their  respective  characters,  the  moment  they 
were  favored  with  an  opportunity.  The  mercu 
rial  Pippo,  as  he  had  been  the  most  difficult  to 
restrain  during  the  day,  was  the  first  to  steal  from 
his  lair,  now  that  the  Argus-like  eyes  of  Baptiste 
permitted  the  freedom,  and  the  exhilarating  cool- 
F 


62  THE    HEADSMAN. 

ness  of  the  sunset  invited  action.  His  success 
emboldened  others,  and,  ere  long,  the  buffoon  haa 
an  admiring  audience  around  him,  that  was  well- 
disposed  to  laugh  at  his  witticisms,  and  to  applaud 
all  his  practical  jokes.  Gaining  courage  as  he  pro 
ceeded,  the  buffoon  gradually  went  from  liberty  to 
liberty,  until  he  was  at  length  triumphantly  estab 
lished  on  what  might  be  termed  an  advanced  spur 
of  the  mountain  formed  by  the  tubs  of  Nicklaus 
Wagner,  in  the  regular  exercise  of  his  art ;  while 
a  crowd  of  amused  and  gaping  spectators  clus 
tered  about  him,  peopling  every  eminence  of  the 
height,  and  even  invading  the  more  privileged 
deck  in  their  eagerness  to  see  and  to  admire. 

Though  frequently  reduced  by  adverse  fortune 
to  the  lowest  shifts  of  his  calling,  such  as  the 
horse-play  of  Policinello,  and  the  imitation  of  un 
couth  sounds,  that  resembled  nothing  either  in  hea 
ven  or  earth,  Pippo  was  a  clever  knave  in  his  way, 
and  was  quite  equal  to  a  displayof  the  higher  branch 
es  of  his  art,  whenever  chance  gave  him  an  audience 
capable  of  estimating  his  qualities.  On  the  pre 
sent  occasion  he  was  obliged  to  address  himself 
both  to  the  polished  and  to  the  unpolished ;  for  the 
proximity  of  their  position,  as  well  as  a  good- 
natured  readiness  to  lend  themselves  to  fooleries 
that  were  so  agreeable  to  most  around  them,  had 
brought  the  more  gentle  portion  of  the  passengers 
within  the  influence  of  his  wit. 

"  And  now,  illustrissimi  signori,"  continued  the 
wily  juggler,  after  having  drawn  a  burst  of  ap 
plause  by  one  of  his  happiest  hits  in  a  sleight-of- 
hand  exhibition,  "  I  come  to  the  most  imposing 
and  the  most  mysterious  part  of  my  knowledge — 
that  of  looking  into  the  future,  and  of  foretelling 
events.  If  there  are  any  among  you  who  would 
wish  to  know  how  long  they  are  to  eat  the  bread 
of  toil,  let  them  come  to  me ;  if  there  is  a  youth 


THE    HEADSMAN.  63 

trr.t  wishes  to  learn  whether  the  heart  of  his  mis 
tress  is  made  of  flesh  or  of  stone — a  maiden  that 
would  see  into  a  youth's  faith  and  constancy, 
while  her  long  eyelashes  cover  her  sight  like  a 
modest  silken  veil — or  a  noble,  that  would  fain 
have  an  insight  into  the  movements  of  his  rivals  at 
court  or  council,  let  them  all  put  their  questions  to 
Pippo,  who  has  an  answer  ready  for  each,  and  an 
answer  so  real,  that  the  most  expert  among  the 
listeners  will  be  ready  to  swear  that  a  lie  from  his 
mouth  is  worth  more  than  truth  from  that  of  ano 
ther  man." 

"  He  that  would  gain  credit  for  knowledge  of 
the  future,"  gravely  observed  the  Signor  Grimaldi, 
who  had  listened  to  his  countryman's  voluble 
eulogium  on  his  own  merits  with  a  good-natured 
laugh,  "had  best  commence  by  showing  his  fa 
miliarity  with  the  past.  Who  and  what  is  he  that 
speaks  to  thee,  as  a  specimen  of  thy  skill  in  sooth 
saying  ?" 

"  His  eccellenza  is  more  than  he  seems,  less  than 
he  deserves  to  be,  and  as  much  as  any  present. 
He  hath  an  old  and  a  prized  friend  at  his  elbow ; 
hath  come  because  it  was  his  pleasure,  to  witness 
the  games  at  Vevey — will  depart  for  the  same 
reason,  when  they  are  over,  and  will  seek  his  home 
at  his  leisure — not  like  a  fox  stealing  into  his  hole, 
but  as  the  stately  ship  sails,  gallantly,  and  by  the 
light  of  the  sun,  into  her  haven." 

"  This  will  never  do,  Pippo,"  returned  tne  good- 
humoured  old  noble ;  "  at  need  I  might  equal  this 
myself.  Thou  shouldst  relate  that  which  is  less 
probable,  while  it  is  more  true." 

"  Signore,  we  prophets  like  to  sleep  in  whol 
skins.     If  it  be  your  eccellenza's  pleasure  and  that 
of  your  noble  company  to  listen  to  the  truly  won 
derful,  I  will  tell  some  of  these  honest  people  mat 
ters  touching  their  own  interests  that  they  do  not 


64  THE    HEADSMAN. 

know  themselves,  and  yet  it  shall  be  as  clear  to 
every  body  else  as  the  sun  in  the  heavens  at  noon 
day." 

"  Thou  wilt,  probably,  tell  them  their  faults  ?" 

"  Your  eccellenza  has  a  right  to  my  place,  foi 
no  prophet  could  have  better  divined  my  inten 
tion  ;"  answered  the  laughing  knave.  "  Come 
nearer,  friend,"  he  added,  beckoning  to  the  Ber- 
nois ;  "  thou  art  Nicklaus  Wagner,  a  fat  peasant 
of  the  great  canton,  and  a  warm  husbandman, 
that  fancies  he  has  a  title  to  the  respect  of  all  he 
meets  because  some  one  among  his  fathers  bought 
a  right  in  the  biirgerschaft.  Thou  hast  a  large 
stake  in  the  Winkelried,  and  art  at  this  moment 
thinking  what  punishment  is  good  enough  foi 
an  impudent  soothsayer  who  dares  dive  so  un 
ceremoniously  into  the  secrets  of  so  warm  a 
citizen,  while  all  around  thee  wish  thv  cheeses  had 
never  left  the  dairy,  to  the  discomfort  of  our  limbs 
and  to  the  great  detriment  of  the  bark's  speed." 

This  sally  at  the  expense  of  Nicklaus  drew  a 
burst  of  merriment  from  the  listeners ;  for  the  sel 
fish  spirit  he  had  manifested  throughout  the  day 
had  won  little  favor  with  a  majority  of  his  fel 
low  travellers,  who  had  all  the  generous  propen 
sities  that  are  usually  so  abundant  among  those  who 
have  little  or  nothing  to  bestow,  and  who  were  by 
this  time  so  well  disposed  to  be  merry  that  much 
less  would  have  served  to  stimulate  their  mirth. 

"Wert  thou  the   owner  of  this    good  freight 
friend,  thou  might  find  its  presence  less  uncom 
fortable  than  thou  now  appearest  to  think,"  return 
ed  the  literal  peasant,  who  had  no  humour  foi 
raillery,  and  to  whom  a  jest  on   the   subject  of 
property  had  that  sort  of  irreverend  character  that 
popular  opinion  and  holy  sayings  have  attached  to 
waste.     "  The  cheeses  are  well  enough  where  the) 


THE    HEADSMAN.  65 

find  themselves ;  if  thou  dislikest  their   company 
thou  hast  the  alternative  of  the  water." 

"  A  truce  between  us,  worshipful  burgher !  and 
let  our  skirmish  end  in  something  that  may  be  use 
ful  to  both.  Thou  hast  that  which  would  be  ac 
ceptable  to  me,  and  I  have  that  which  no  owner  of 
cheeses  would  refuse,  did  he  know  the  means  by 
which  it  might  be  come  at  honestly." 

Nicklaus  growled  a  few  words  of  distrust  and 
indifference,  but  it  was  plain  that  the  ambiguous 
language  of  the  juggler,  as  usual,  had  succeeded  in 
awakening  interest.  With  the  affectation  of  a 
mind  secretly  conscious  of  its  own  infirmity,  he 
pretended  to  be  indifferent  to  what  the  other  pro 
fessed  a  readiness  to  reveal,  while  with  the  rapa 
city  of  a  grasping  spirit  he  betrayed  a  longing  to 
know  more. 

"  First  I  will  tell  thee,"  said  Pippo,  with  a  pa 
rade  of  good-nature, "  that  thou  deservcst  to  remain 
in  ignorance,  as  a  punishment  of  thy  pride  and 
want  of  faith ;  but  it  is  the  failing  of  your  prophet 
to  let  that  be  known  which  he  ought  to  conceal. 
Thou  flatterest  thyself  this  is  the  fattest  cargo  of 
cheeses  that  will  cross  the  Swiss  waters  this  sea 
son,  on  their  way  to  an  Italian  market?  Shake 
not  thy  head. — 'Tis  useless  to  deny  it  to  a  man  of 
my  learning !" 

"  Nay,  I  know  there  are  others  as  heavy,  and,  it 
may  be,  as  good ;  but  this  has  the  advantage  of  be 
ing  the  first,  a  circumstance  that  is  certain  to  com 
mand  a  price." 

"  Such  is  the  blindness  of  one  that  nature  sent 
on  earth  to  deal  in  cheeses  !"— The  Herr  Von  Wil- 
lading  and  his  friends  smiled  among  themselves  at 
the  cool  impudence  of  the  mountebank — "  Thou 
fanciest  it  is  so ;  and  at  this  moment,  a  heavily  la 
den  bark  is  driving  before  a  favorable  gale,  near 
the  upper  end  of  the  lake  of  the  fcnr  cantons,  while 

t  Fa 


66  THE    HEADSMAN. 

a  long  line  of  mules  is  waiting  at  Fliiellen,  to  beat 
its  freight  by  the  paths  of  the  St.  Gothard,  to  Mi- 
lano  and  other  rich  markets  of  the  south.  In  vir 
tue  of  my  secret  power,  1  see  that,  in  despite  of  aU 
thy  cravings,  it  will  arrive  before  thine." 

Nicklaus  fidgeted,  for  the  graphic  particularity 
of  Pippo  almost  led  him  to  believe  the  augury 
might  be  true. 

"Had  this  bark  sailed  according  to  our  cove 
nant,"  he  said,  with  a  simplicity  that  betrayed  his 
uneasiness,  "  the  beasts  bespoken  by  me  would  now 
be  loading  at  Villeneuve ;  and,  if  there  be  justice 
in  Vaud,  I  shall  hold  Baptiste  responsible  for  any 
disadvantage  that  may  come  of  the  neglect." 

"  Luckily,  the  generous  Baptiste  is  asleep,"  re 
turned  Pippo,  "  or  we  might  hear  objections  to  this 
scheme.  But,  Signiori,  I  see  you  are  satisfied  with 
this  insight  into  the  character  of  the  warm  peasant 
of  Berne,  who,  to  say  truth,  has  not  much  to  con 
ceal  from  us,  and  I  will  turn  my  searching  looks 
into  the  soul  of  this  pious  pilgrim,  the  reverend  Con- 
rado,  whose  unction  may  well  go  near  to  be  a 
leaven  sufficient  to  lighten  all  in  the  bark  of  theii 
burthens  of  backslidings.  Thou  earnest  the  peni 
tence  and  prayers  of  many  sinners,  besides  some 
merchandise  of  this  nature  of  thine  own." 

"  I  am  bound  to  Loretto,  with  the  mental  offer 
ings  of  certain  Christians,  who  are  too  much  occu 
pied  with  their  daily  concerns  to  make  the  journey 
in  person,"  answered  the  pilgrim,  who  never  abso 
lutely  threw  aside  his  professional  character,  though 
he  cared  in  general  so  little  about  his  hypocrisy 
being  known.  "  I  am  poor,  and  humble  of  appear 
ance,  but  I  have  seen  miracles  in  my  day !" 

"  If  any  trust  valuable  offerings  to  thy  keeping 
thou  art  a  living  miracle  in  thine  own  person !  ] 
can  foresee  that  thou  wilt  bear  nought  else  beside 


THE    HEADSMAN.  67 

"  Nay,  I  pretend  to  deal  in  little  more.  The  rich 
and  great,  they  that  send  vessels  of  gold  and  rich 
dresses  to  Our  Lady,  employ  their  own  favorite 
messengers ;  I  am  but  the  bearer  of  prayer  and  the 
substitute  for  the  penitent.  The  sufferings  that  I 
undergo  in  the  flesh  are  passed  to  the  credit  of  my 
employers,  who  get  the  benefit  of  my  aches  and 
pains.  I  pretend  to  be  no  more  than  their  go-be 
tween,  as  yonder  mariner  has  so  lately  called  me." 

Pippo  turned  suddenly,  following  the  direction 
of  the  other's  eye,  and  cast  a  glance  at  the  self- 
styled  II  Maledetto.  This  individual,  of  all  the 
common  herd,  had  alone  forborne  to  join  the  ga 
ping  and  amused  crowd  near  the  juggler.  His  for 
bearance,  or  want  of  curiosity,  had  left  him  in  the 
quiet  possession  of  the  little  platform  that  was  made 
by  the  stowage  of  the  boxes,  and  he  now  stood  on 
the  summit  of  the  pile,  conspicuous  by  his  situation 
and  mein,  the  latter  being  remarkable  for  its  un 
moved  calmness,  heightened  by  the  understanding 
manner  that  is  so  peculiar  to  a  seaman  when 
afloat." 

"  Wilt  thou  have  the  history  of  thy  coming  per 
ils,  friend  mariner  ?"  cried  the  mercurial  mounte 
bank  :  "  A  journal  of  thy  future  risks  and  tempests 
to  amuse  you  in  this  calm  ?  Such  a  picture  of  sea- 
monsters  and  of  coral  that  grows  in  the  ocean's 
caverns,  where  mariners  sleep,  that  shall  give  thee 
the  night-mare  for  months,  and  cause  thee  to  dream 
of  wrecks  and  bleached  bones  for  the  rest  of  thy 
life  ?  Thou  hast  only  to  wish  it,  to  have  the  ad 
ventures  of  thy  next  voyage  laid  before  thee,  like  a 
map." 

"  Thou  would'st  gain  more  credit  with  me,  as 
one  cunning  in  thy  art,  by  giving  the  history  of  the 
last." 

"  The  request  is  reasonable,  and  thou  shalt  have 
*t ;  for  I  love  the  bold  adventurer  that  trusts  him- 


68  THE    HEADSMAN. 

self  hardily  upon  the  great  deep ;"  answered  the 
unabashed  Pippo.  "  My  first  lessons  in  necroman 
cy  were  received  on  the  mole  of  Napoli,  amid  bur 
ly  Inglesi,  straight-nosed  Greeks,  swarthy  Sicilians; 
and  Maltese  with  spirits  as  fine  as  the  gold  of  their 
own  chains.  This  was  the  school  in  which  I 
learned  to  know  my  art,  and  an  apt  scholar  I  pro 
ved  in  all  that  touches  the  philosophy  and  humani 
ty  of  my  craft.  Signore,  thy  palm  ?" 

Maso  spread  his  sinewy  hand  in  the  direction  of 
the  juggler,  without  descending  from  his  elevation, 
and  in  a  way  to  show  that,  while  he  would  not 
balk  the  common  humor,  he  was  superior  to  the 
gaping  wonder  and  childish  credulity  of  most  of 
those  who  watched  the  result.  Pippo  affected  to 
stretch  out  his  neck,  in  order  to  study  the  hard  and 
dark  lines,  and  then  he  resumed  his  revelations, 
like  one  perfectly  satisfied  with  what  he  had  dis 
covered. 

"  The  hand  is  masculine,  and  has  been  familiar 
with  many  friends  in  its  time.  It  hath  dealt  with 
steel,  and  cordage,  and  saltpetre,  and  most  of  all 
with  gold.  Signori,  the  true  seat  of  a  man's  di 
gestion  lies  in  the  palm  of  his  hand ;  if  that  is 
free  to  give  and  to  receive,  he  will  never  have  a 
costive  conscience,  for  of  all  damnable  inconve 
niences  that  afflict  mortals,  that  of  a  conscience 
that  will  neither  give  up  nor  take  is  the  heaviest 
curse.  Let  a  man  have  as  much  sagacity  as  shaF. 
make  him  a  cardinal,  if  it  get  entangled  in  the 
meshes  of  one  of  your  unyielding  consciences,  ye 
shall  see  him  a  mendicant  brother  to  his  dying 
day ;  let  him  be  born  a  prince  with  a  close-ribbed 
opinion  of  this  sort,  and  he  had  better  have  been 
born  a  beggar,  for  his  reign  will  be  like  a  river 
from  which  the  current  sets  outward,  without  any 
return.  No,  my  friends,  a  palm  like  this  of  Maso's 
is  a  favorable  sign,  since  it  hinges  on  a  pliant  will 


THE   HEADSMAN.  69 

that  will  open  and  shut  like  a  well-formed  eye,  or 
the  jacket  of  a  shell-fish,  at  its  owner's  pleasure. 
Thou  hast  drawn  near  to  many  a  port  before  this 
of  Vevey,  after  the  sun  has  fallen  low,  Signor 
Maso !" 

"  In  that  I  have  taken  a  seaman's  chances 
which  depend  more  on  the  winds  than  on  his  ow 
wishes." 

"  Thou  esteemest  the  bottom  of  the  craft  in 
which  thou  art  required  to  sail,  as  far  more  im 
portant  than  her  ancient.  Thou  hast  an  eye  for 
a  keel,  but  none  for  color;  unless,  indeed,  as  it 
may  happen  to  be  convenient  to  seem  that  thou 
art  not." 

"  Nay,  Master  Soothsayer,  I  suspect  thee  to  be 
an  officer  of  some  of  the  Holy  Brotherhoods,  sent 
in  this  guise  to  question  us  poor  travellers  to  our 
ruin  !"  answered  Maso.  "  I  am,  what  thou  seest, 
but  a  poor  mariner  that  hath  no  better  bark  under 
him  than  this  of  Baptiste,  and  on  a  sea  no  larger 
than  a  Swiss  lake." 

"  Shrewdly  observed,"  said  Pippo,  winking  to 
those  near  him,  though  he  so  little  liked  the  eye 
and  bearing  of  the  other  that  he  was  not  sorry  to 
turn  to  some  new  subject.  "  But  what  matters  it, 
Signori,  to  be  speaking  of  the  qualities  of  men ! 
We  are  all  alike,  honorable,  merciful,  more  dis 
posed  to  help  others  than  to  help  ourselves,  and  so 
little  given  to  selfishness,  that  nature  has  been 
obliged  to  supply  every  mother's  son  of  us  with  a 
sort  of  goad,  that  shall  be  constantly  pricking  us 
on  to  look  after  our  own  interests.  Here  are  ani 
mals  whose  dispositions  are  less  understood,  and 
we  will  bestow  a  useful  minute  in  examining  theL 
qualities.  Reverend  Augustine,  this  mastiff  ofv 
thine  is  named  Uberto  ?" 

"  He  is  known  by  that  appellation  throughout 
•he  cantons  and  their  allies.  The  fame  of  the  dog 


70  THE   HEADSMAN 

reaches  even  to  Turin  and  to  most  of  the  towns  in 
he  plain  of  Lombardy." 

"  Now,  Signori,  you  perceive  that  this  is  but  a 
secondary  creature  in  the  scale  of  animals.  Do 
him  good  and  he  will  be  grateful ;  do  him  harm, 
and  he  will  forgive.  Feed  him,  and  he  is  satisfied. 
He  will  travel  the  paths  of  the  St.  Bernard,  night 
and  day,  to  do  credit  to  his  training,  and  when 
the  toil  is  ended,  all  he  asks  is  just  as  much  meat 
as  will  keep  the  breath  within  his  ribs.  Had 
heaven  given  Uberto  a  conscience  and  greater 
wit,  the  first  might  have  shown  him  the  impiety 
of  working  for  travellers  on  holy  days  and  festas, 
while  the  latter  would  be  apt  to  say  he  was  a  fool 
for  troubling  himself  auout  the  safety  of  others  at 
all." 

"  And  yet  his  masters,  the  good  Augustines  them 
selves,  do  not  hold  so  selfish  a  creed !"  observed 
Adelheid. 

"  Ah  !  they  have  heaven  in  view !  I  cry  the 
reverend  Augustine's  pardon — but,  lady,  the  dif 
ference  is  in  the  length  of  the  calculation.  Woe 's 
me,  brethren ;  I  would  that  my  parents  had  edu 
cated  me  for  a  bishop,  or  a  viceroy,  or  some  other 
modest  employment,  that  this  learned  craft  of 
mine  might  have  fallen  into  better  hands !  Ye 
would  lose  in  instruction,  but  I  should  be  removed 
from  the  giddy  heights  of  ambition,  and  die  at  last 
with  some  hopes  of  being  a  saint.  Fair  lady,  thou 
travellest  on  a  bootless  errand,  if  I  know  the  rea 
son  that  tempts  thee  to  cross  the  Alps  at  this  late 
season  of  the  year." 

This  sudden  address  caused  both  Adelheid  and 
her  father  to  start,  for,  in  despite  of  pride  and  the 
force  of  reason,  it  is  seldom  that  we  can  complete 
ly  redeem  our  opinions  from  the  shackles  of  super 
stition,  and  that  dread  of  the  unseen  future  which 
appears  to  have  been  entailed  upon  our  nature,  as 


THE    HEADSMAN.  71 

a  ceaseless  monitor  of  the  eternal  state  of  being  to 
which  all  are  hastening,  with  steps  so  noiseless  and 
yet  so  sure.  The  countenance  of  the  maiden 
changed,  and  she  turned  a  quick,  involuntary  glance 
at  her  anxious  parent,  as  if  to  note  the  effect  of 
this  rude  announcement  on  him  before  she  answer 
ed. 

"  I  go  in  quest  of  the  blessing,  health,"  she  said, 
"  and  I  should  be  sorry  to  think  thy  prognostic 
likely  to  be  realized.  With  youth,  a  good  consti 
tution,  and  tender  friends  of  my  side,  there  is  rea 
son  to  think  thou  mayest,  in  this  at  least,  prove  a 
false  prophet." 

"  Lady,  hast  thou  hope  ?" 

Pippo  ventured  this  question  as  he  had  adventured 
his  opinion  ;  that  is  to  say,  recklessly,  pretendingly, 
and  with  great  indifference  to  any  effect  it  might 
have,  except  as  it  was  likely  to  establish  his  repu 
tation  with  the  crowd.  Still,  it  would  seem,  that 
by  one  of  those  singular  coincidences  that  are 
hourly  occurring  in  real  life,  he  had  unwittingly 
touched  a  sensitive  chord  in  the  system  of  his  fair 
fellow-traveller.  Her  eyes  sank  to  the  deck  at  this 
abrupt  question,  the  color  again  stole  to  her  pol 
ished  temples,  and  the  least  practised  in  the  emo 
tions  of  the  sex  might  have  detected  painful  em 
barrassment  in  her  mein.  She  was,  however, 
spared  the  awkwardness  of  a  reply,  by  the  unexpect 
ed  and  prompt  interference  of  Maso. 

"  Hope  is  the  last  of  our  friends  to  prove  re 
creant,"  said  this  mariner,  "  else  would  the  cases 
of  many  in  company  be  bad  enough,  thine  own 
included,  Pippo ;  for,  judging  by  the  outward  signs, 
the  Swabian  campaign  has  not  been  rich  in  spoils." 
'  Providence  has  ordered  the  harvests  of  wit 
much  as  it  has  ordered  the  harvests  of  the  field," 
returned  the  juggler,  who  felt  the  sarcasm  of  the 
other's  remark  with  all  the  poignancy  that  it  could 


72  THE    HEADSMAN. 

derive  from  truth  ;  since,  to  expose  his  real  situa* 
tion,  he  was  absolutely  indebted  to  an  extraordi 
nary  access  of  generosity  in  Baptiste,  for  his  very 
passage  across  the  Lernan.  "  One  year,  thou  shalt 
find  the  vineyard  dripping  liquors  precious  as  dia 
monds,  while,  the  next,  barrenness  shall  make  it 
its  seat.  To-day  the  peasant  will  complain  that 
poverty  prevents  him  from  building  the  covering 
necessary  to  house  his  crops,  while  to-morrow  he 
will  be  heard  groaning  over  empty  garners.  Abun 
dance  and  famine  travel  the  earth  hard  upon  each 
other's  heels,  and  it  is  not  surprising  that  he  who 
lives  by  his  wits  should  sometimes  fail  of  his  har 
vest,  as  well  as  he  who  lives  by  his  hands." 

"  If  constant  custom  can  secure  success,  the  pious 
Conrad  should  be  prosperous,"  answered  Maso, 
"  for,  of  all  machinery,  that  of  sin  is  the  least  sel 
dom  idle.  His  trade  at  least  can  never  fail  for 
want  of  employers." 

"  Thou  hast  it,  Signer  Maso  ;  and  it  is  for  this 
especial  reason  that  I  wish  my  parents  had  edu 
cated  me  for  a  bishoprick.  He  that  is  charged 
with  reproving  his  fellow  creatures  for  their  vices 
need  never  know  an  idle  hour." 

"  Thou  dost  not  understand  what  thou  sayest,"  put 
in  Conrad ;  "  love  for  the  saints  has  much  fallen 
away  since  my  youth,  and  where  there  is  one 
Christian  ready  now  to  bestow  his  silver,  in  order 
to  get  the  blessing  of  some  favorite  shrine,  there 
were  then  ten.  I  have  heard  the  elders  of  us  pil 
grims  say,  that,  fifty  years  since,  'twas  a  pleasure 
to  bear  the  sins  of  a  whole  parish,  for  ours  is  a 
business  in  which  the  load  does  not  so  much  depend 
on  the  amount  as  the  quality ;  and,  in  their  time 
there  were  willing  offerings,  frank  confessions, 
and  generous  consideration  for  those  who  under 
took  the  toil." 

"In  such  a  trade,  the  less  thou  hast  to  answej 


THE   HEADSMAN.  73 

for,  in  behalf  of  others,  the  more  will  pass  to  thy 
credit  on  the  score  of  thine  own  backslidings," 
pithily  remarked  Nicklaus  Wagner,  who  was  a  stur 
dy  Protestant,  and  apt  enough  at  levelling  these 
side-hits  at  those  who  professed  a  faith,  obnoxious 
to  the  attacks  of  all  who  dissented  from  the  opinions 
and  the  spiritual  domination  of  Rome. 

But  Conrad  was  a  rare  specimen  of  what  may 
be  effected  by  training  and  well-rooted  prejudices. 
In  presenting  this  man  to  the  mind  of  the  reader, 
we  have  no  intention  to  impugn  the  doctrines  of  the 
particular  church  to  which  he  belonged,  but  sim 
ply  to  show,  as  the  truth  will  fully  warrant,  to  what 
a  pass  of  flagrant  and  impudent  pretension  the 
qualities  of  man,  unbridled  by  the  wholesome  cor- 
rective  of  a  sound  and  healthful  opinion,  was  ca 
pable  of  conducting  abuses  on  the  most  solemn 
and  gravest  subjects.  In  that  age  usages  prevail 
ed,  and  were  so  familial  to  the  minds  of  the  actors 
as  to  excite  neither  reflection  nor  comment,  which 
would  now  lead  to  revolutions,  and  a  general  rising 
in  defence  of  principles  which  are  held  to  be  clear 
as  the  air  we  breathe.  Though  we  entertain  no 
doubt  of  the  existence  of  that  truth  which  pervades 
the  universe,  and  to  which  all  things  tend,  we 
think  the  world,  in  its  practices,  its  theories,  and 
its  conventional  standards  of  right  and  wrong,  is 
in  a  condition  of  constant  change,  which  it  should 
be  the  business  of  the  wise  and  good  to  favor,  so 
long  as  care  is  had  that  the  advantage  is  not  bought 
by  a  re-action  of  evil,  that  shall  more  than  prove 
its  counterpoise.  Conrad  was  one  of  the  lowest 
class  of  those  fungi  that  grow  out  of  the  decayed 
parts  of  the  moral,  as  their  more  material  types 
prove  the  rottenness  of  the  vegetable,  world;  and 
the  probability  of  the  truth  of  the  portraiture  is  not 
to  be  loosely  denied,  without  mature  reflection  on 
the  similar  anomalies  that  are  yet  to  be  found  on 
G 


74  THE    HEADSMAN. 

every  side  of  us,  or  without  studying  the  history  of 
the  abuses  which  then  disgraced  Christianity,  and 
which,  in  truth,  became  so  intolerable  in  their 
character,  and  so  hideous  in  their  features,  as  to 
be  the  chief  influencing  cause  to  bring  about  their 
own  annihilation. 

Pippo,  who  had  that  useful  tact  which  enables  a 
man  to  measure  his  own  estimation  with  others, 
was  not  slow  to  perceive  that  the  more  enlightened 
part  of  his  audience  began  to  tire  of  this  pretend 
ing  buffoonery.  Resorting  to  a  happy  subterfuge, 
by  means  of  one  of  his  sleight-of-hand  expedients, 
he  succeeded  in  transferring  the  whole  of  that  por 
tion  of  the  spectators  who  still  found  amusement 
in  his  jugglery,  to  the  other  end  of  the  vessel, 
where  they  established  themselves  among  the  an 
chors,  ready  as  ever  to  swallow  an  aliment,  that 
seems  to  find  an  unextinguishable  appetite  for  its 
reception  among  the  vulgar.  Here  he  continued 
his  exhibition,  now  moralizing  in  the  quaint  and 
often  in  the  pithy  manner,  which  renders  the  south 
ern  buffoon  so  much  superior  to  his  duller  compe 
titor  of  the  north,  and  uttering  a  wild  jumble  of 
wholesome  truths,  loose  morality,  and  witty  inuen- 
does,  the  latter  of  which  never  failed  to  extort  roars 
of  laughter  from  all  but  those  who  happened  to  be 
their  luckless  subjects. 

Once  or  twice  Baptiste  raised  his  head,  and  stared 
about  him  with  drowsy  eyes,  but,  satisfied  there 
was  nothing  to  be  done  in  the  way  of  forcing  the 
vessel  ahead,  he  resumed  his  nap,  without  inter 
fering  in  the  pastime  of  those  whom  he  had  hith 
erto  seemed  to  take  pleasure  in  annoying.  Left 
entirely  to  themselves,  therefore,  the  crowd  on 
the  forecastle  represented  one  of  those  every-day 
but  profitable  pictures  of  life,  which  abound  under 
our  eyes,  but  which,  though  they  are  pregnant  with 
instruction,  are  treated  with  the  indifference  that 


THE   HEADSMAN.  75 

would  seem  to  be  the  inevitable  consequence  of 
familiarity. 

The  crowded  and  overloaded  bark  might  have 
been  compared  to  the  vessel  of  human  life,  which 
floats  at  all  times  subject  to  the  thousand  accident 
of  a  delicate  and  complicated  machinery ;  the  lake 
so  smooth  and  alluring  in  its  present  tranquillity, 
but  so  capable  of  lashing  its  iron-bound  coasts  with 
fury,  to  a  treacherous  world,  whose  smile  is  al 
most  always  as  dangerous  as  its  frown;  and,  to 
complete  the  picture,  the  idle,  laughing,  thought 
less,  and  yet  inflammable  group  that  surrounded 
the  buffoon,  to  the  unaccountable  medley  of  human 
sympathies,  of  sudden  and  fierce  passions,  of  fun 
and  frolic,  so  inexplicably  mingled  with  the  gross 
est  egotism  that  enters  into  the  heart  of  man :  in 
a  word,  to  so  much  that  is  beautiful  and  divine, 
with  so  much  that  would  seem  to  be  derived  di 
rectly  from  the  demons,  a  compound  which  com 
poses  this  mysterious  and  dread  state  of  being,  and 
which  we  are  taught,  by  reason  and  revelation, 
is  only  a  preparation  for  another  still  more  incom 
prehensible  and  wonderful. 


CHAPTER  V. 

"  How  like  a  fawning  publican  he  looks !" 

SHYLOCK. 

THE  change  of  the  juggler's  scene  of  action  left 
the  party  in  the  stern  of  the  barge,  in  quiet  posses 
sion  of  their  portion  of  the  vessel.  Baptiste  and 
his  boatmen  still  slept  among  the  boxes;  Maso 
continued  to  pace  his  elevated  platform  above  their 
heads ;  and  the  meek-looking  stranger,  whose  en- 


76  THE    HEADSMAN. 

trance  into  the  barge  had  drawn  so  many  witticisms 
from  Pippo,  sate  a  little  apart,  silent,  furtively  ob 
servant,  and  retiring,  in  the  identical  spot  he  had 
occupied  throughout  the  day.  With  these  excep 
tions,  the  whole  of  the  rest  of  the  travellers  were 
crowding  around  the  person  of  the  mountebank. 
Perhaps  we  have  not  done  well,  however,  in  class 
ing  either  of  the  two  just  named  with  the  more 
common  herd,  for  there  were  strong  points  of 
difference  to  distinguish  both  from  most  of  their 
companions. 

The  exterior  and  the  personal  appointments  of 
the  unknown  traveller,  who  had  shrunk  so  sensi 
tively  before  the  hits  of  the  Neapolitan,  was  greatly 
superior  to  those  of  any  other  in  the  bark  beneath 
the  degree  of  the  gentle,  not  even  excepting  those 
of  the  warm  peasant  Nicklaus  Wagner,  the  owner 
of  so  large  a  portion  of  the  freight.  There  was  a 
decency  of  air  that  commanded  more  respect  than 
it  was  then  usual  to  yield  to  the  nameless,  a  quiet 
ness  of  demeanor  that  denoted  reflection  and  the 
habit  of  self-study  and  self-correction,  together  with 
a  deference  to  others  that  was  well  adapted  to  gain 
friends.  In  the  midst  of  the  noisy,  clamorous 
merriment  of  all  around  him,  his  restrained  and 
rebuked  manner  had  won  upon  the  favor  of  the 
more  privileged,  who  had  unavoidably  noticed  the 
difference,  and  had  prepared  the  way  to  a  more 
frank  communication  between  the  party  of  the  no 
ble,  and  one  who,  if  not  their  equal  in  the  usual 
points  of  worldly  distinction,  was  greatly  superior 
to  those  among  whom  he  had  been  accidentally 
cast  by  the  chances  of  his  journey.  Not  so  with 
Maso ;  he,  apparently,  had  little  in  common  with 
the  unobtruding  and  silent  being  that  sat  so  near 
his  path,  in  the  short  turns  he  was  making  to  and 
fro  across  the  pile  of  freight.  The  mariner  was 
much  the  younger,  his  years  scarcely  reaching 


THE    HfcADSMAN.  77 

thirty,  while  the  head  of  the  unknown  traveller  was 
already  beginning  to  be  sprinkled  with  gray.  The 
walk,  attitudes,  and  gestures,  of  the  former,  were 
also  those  of  a  man  confident  of  himself,  a  little 
addicted  to  be  indifferent  to  others,  and  far  more 
disposed  to  lead  than  to  follow.  These  are  quali 
ties  that  it  may  be  thought  his  present  situation 
was  scarcely  suited  to  discover,  but  they  had  been 
made  sufficiently  apparent,  by  the  cool,  calculating 
looks  he  threw,  from  time  to  time,  at  the  manosu- 
vres  commanded  by  Baptiste,  the  expressive  sneer 
with  which  he  criticised  his  decisions,  and  a  few 
citing  remarks  which  had  escaped  him  in  the  course 
of  the  day,  and  which  had  conveyed  any  thing  but 
compliments  to  the  nautical  skill  of  the  patron  and 
his  fresh-water  followers.  Still  there  were  signs 
of  better  stuff  in  this  suspicious-looking  person  than 
are  usually  seen  about  men,  whose  attire,  pursuits 
and  situation,  are  so  indicative  of  the  world's 
pressing  hard  upon  their  principles,  as  happened  to 
be  the  fact  with  this  poor  and  unknown  seaman. 
Though  ill  clad,  and  wearing  about  him  the  general 
tokens  of  a  vagrant  life,  and  that  loose  connexion 
with  society  that  is  usually  taken  as  sufficient  evi 
dence  of  one's  demerits,  his  countenance  occasion 
ally  denoted  thought,  and,  during  the  day,  his  eye 
had  frequently  wandered  towards  the  group  of  his 
more  intelligent  fellow-passengers,  as  if  he  found 
subjects  of  greater  interest  in  their  discourse,  than 
in  the  rude  pleasantries  and  practical  jokes  of  those 
nearer  his  person. 

The  high-bred  are  always  courteous,  except  in 
cases  in  which  presumption  repels  civility ;  for  they 
who  are  accustomed  to  the  privileges  of  station, 
think  far  less  of  their  immunities,  than  they,  who 
by  being  excluded  from  the  fancied  advantages, 
are  apt  to  exaggerate  a  superiority  that  a  short 
experience  would  show  becomes  of  very  questiona- 
G2 


78  THE    HEADSMAN. 

ble  value  in  the  possession.  Without  this  equitable 
provision  of  Providence,  the  laws  of  civilized  so 
ciety  would  become  truly  intolerable,  for,  if  peace 
of  mind,  pleasure,  and  what  is  usually  termed 
happiness,  were  the  exclusive  enjoyment  of  those 
who  are  rich  and  honoured,  there  would,  indeed, 
be  so  crying  an  injustice  in  their  present  ordinances 
as  could  not  long  withstand  the  united  assaults  o+ 
reason  and  justice.  But,  happily  for  the  relief  of 
the  less  gifted  and  the  peace  of  the  world,  the  fact 
is  very  different.  Wealth  has  its  peculiar  woes ; 
honors  and  privileges  pall  in  the  use ;  and,  per 
haps,  as  a  rule,  there  is  less  of  that  regulated  con 
tentment,  which  forms  the  nearest  approach  to  the 
condition  of  the  blessed  of  which  this  unquiet  state 
of  being  is  susceptible,  among  those  who  are 
usually  the  most  envied  by  their  fellow-creatures, 
than  in  any  other  of  the  numerous  gradations  into 
which  the  social  scale  has  been  divided.  He  who 
reads  our  present  legend  with  the  eyes  that  we 
could  wish,  will  find  in  its  moral  the  illustration  of 
this  truth ;  for,  if  it  is  our  intention  to  delineate 
some  of  the  wrongs  that  spring  from  the  abuses  of 
the  privileged  and  powerful,  we  hope  equally  to 
show  how  completely  they  fall  short  of  their  ob 
ject,  by  failing  to  confer  that  exclusive  happiness 
which  is  the  goal  that  all  struggle  to  attain. 

Neither  the  Baron  de  Willading,  nor  his  noble 
friend,  the  Genoese,  though  educated  in  the  opin 
ions  of  their  caste,  and  necessarily  under  the  in 
fluence  of  the  prejudices  of  the  age,  was  addicted 
to  the  insolence  of  vulgar  pride.  Their  habits 
had  revolted  at  the  coarseness  of  the  majority  of 
the  travellers,  and  they  were  glad  to  be  rid  of 
them  by  the  expedient  of  Pippo;  but  no  sooner 
did  the  modest,  decent  air  of  the  stranger  who  re 
mained,  make  itself  apparent,  than  they  felt  a  desire 
to  compensate  him  for  the  privations  he  had  already 


THE    HEADSMAN.  79 

undergone,  by  showing  the  civilities  that  their 
own  rank  rendered  so  easy  and  usually  so  grate 
ful.  With  this  view,  then,  as  soon  as  the  noisy 
troupe  had  departed,  the  Signor  Grimaldi  raised 
his  beaver  with  that  discreet  and  imposing  polite 
ness  which  equally  attracts  and  repels,  and,  ad- 
fclressing  the  solitary  stranger,  he  invited  him  to 
descend,  and  stretch  his  legs  on  the  part  of  the 
deck  which  had  hitherto  been  considered  exclu 
sively  devoted  to  the  use  of  his  own  party.  The 
other  started,  reddened,  and  looked  like  one  who 
doubted  whether  he  had  heard  aright. 

"  These  noble  gentlemen  would  be  glad  if  you 
would  come  down,  and  take  advantage  of  this 
opportunity  to  relieve  your  limbs ;"  said  the  young 
Sigismund,  raising  his  own  athletic  arm  towards 
the  stranger,  to  offer  its  assistance  in  helping  him 
to  reach  the  deck. 

Still  the  unknown  traveller  hesitated,  in  the 
manner  of  one  who  fears  he  might  overstep  dis 
cretion,  by  obtruding  beyond  the  limits  imposed 
by  modesty.  He  glanced  furtively  upwards  at 
the  place  where  Maso  had  posted  himself,  and 
muttered  something  of  an  intention  to  profit  by  its 
present  nakedness. 

"  It  has  an  occupant  who  does  not  seem  dis 
posed  to  admit  another,"  said  Sigismund,  smiling ; 
"  your  mariner  has  a  self-possession  when  afloat, 
that  usually  gives  him  the  same  superiority  that 
the  well-armed  swasher  has  among  the  timid  in 
the  street.  You  would  do  well,  then,  to  accept 
the  offer  of  the  noble  Genoese." 

The  stranger,  who  had  once  or  twice  been 
called  rather  ostentatiously  by  Baptiste  the  Herr 
Miiller,  during  the  day,  as  if  the  patron  were  dis 
posed  to  let  his  hearers  know  that  he  had  those 
who  at  least  bore  creditable  names,  even  among 
his  ordinary  passengers,  no  longer  delayed.  He 


80  THE    HEADSMAN. 

came  down  from  his  seat,  and  moved  about  the 
deck  in  his  usual,  quiet,  subdued  manner,  but  in  a 
way  to  show  that  he  found  a  very  sensible  and 
grateful  relief  in  being  permitted  to  make  the 
change.  Sigismund  was  rewarded  for  this  act 
of  good-nature  by  a  smile  from  Adelheid,  who 
thought  his  warm  interference  in  behalf  of  one, 
seemingly  so  much  his  inferior,  did  no  discredit 
to  his  rank.  It  is  possible  that  the  youthful  sol 
dier  had  some  secret  sentiment  of  the  advantage 
he  derived  from  his  kind  interest  in  the  stranger, 
for  his  brow  flushed,  and  he  looked  more  satisfied 
with  himself,  after  this  little  office  of  humanity 
had  been  performed. 

"  You  are  better  among  us  here,"  the  baron 
kindly  observed,  when  the  Herr  Miiller  was  fairly 
established  in  his  new  situation,  "  than  among  the 
freight  of  the  honest  Nicklaus  Wagner,  who, 
Heaven  help  the  worthy  peasant !  has  loaded  us 
fairly  to  the  water's  edge,  with  the  notable  indus 
try  of  his  dairy  people.  I  like  to  witness  the 
prosperity  of  our  burghers,  but  it  would  have 
been  better  for  us  travellers,  at  least,  had  there 
been  less  of  the  wealth  of  honest  Nicklaus  in  our 
company.  Are  you  of  Berne,  or  of  Zurich  ]" 

"  Of  Berne,  Herr  Baron." 

"  I  might  have  guessed  that  by  finding  you  on 
the  Genfer  See,  instead  of  the  WaJlenstatter. 
There  are  many  of  the  Miillers  in  the  Emmen 
Thai?" 

"  The  Herr  is  right ;  the  name  is  frequent,  both 
in  that  valley,  and  in  Entlibuch." 

"  It  is  a  frequent  appellation  r.mong  us  of  the 
Teutonick  stock.  I  had  many  Miillers  in  my 
company,  Gaetano,  when  we  lay  before  Mantua, 
I  remember  that  two  of  the  brave  fellows  were 
buried  in  the  marshes  of  that  low  country;  foi 
the  fever  helped  the  enemy  as  much  as  the  sword 


THE    HEADSMAN.  81 

in  the  life-wasting  campaign  of  the  year  we  be 
sieged  the  place." 

The  more  observant  Italian  saw  that  the  stranger 
was  distressed  by  the  personal  nature  of  the  con 
versation,  and,  while  he  quietly  assented  to  his 
friend's  remark,  he  took  occasion  to  give  it  a  new 
direction. 

"  You  travel,  like  ourselves,  Signore,  to  get  a 
look  at  these  far-famed  revels  of  the  Vevasians  ?" 

"  That,  and  affairs,  have  brought  me  into  this 
honorable  company ;"  answered  the  Herr  Mu'ller, 
whom  no  kindness  of  tone,  however,  could  win 
from  his  timid  and  subdued  manner  of  speaking. 
"  And  thou,  father,"  turning  to  the  Augustine, 
"art  journeying  towards  thy  mountain  residence, 
after  a  visit  of  love  to  the  valleys  and  their 
people  ?" 

The  monk  of  St.  Bernard  assented  to  the  truth 
of  this  remark,  explaining  the  manner  in  which 
his  community  were  accustomed  annually  to  ap 
peal  to  the  liberality  of  the  generous  in  Switzer 
land,  in  behalf  of  an  institution  that  was  founded 
in  the  interest  of  humanity,  without  reference  to 
distinction  of  faith. 

"  'Tis  a  blessed  brotherhood,"  answered  the 
Genoese,  crossing  himself,  perhaps  as  much  from 
habit  as  from  devotion,  "  and  the  traveller  need 
wish  it  well.  I  have  never  shared  of  your 
hospitality,  but  all  report  speaks  fairly  of  it,  and 
the  title  of  a  brother  of  San  Bernardo,  should 
prove  a  passport  to  the  favor  of  every  Christian." 

"  Signore,"  said  Maso,  stopping  suddenly,  and 
taking  his  part  uninvited  in  the  discourse,  and  yet 
in  a  way  to  avoid  the  appearance  of  an  imperti 
nent  interference,  "  none  know  this  better  than  I ! 
A  wanderer  these  many  years,  I  have  often  seen 
the  stony  roof  of  the  hospice  with  as  much  plea 
sure  as  I  have  ever  beheld  the  entrance  of  my 


82  THE   HEADSMAK. 

haven,  when  an  adverse  gale  was  pressing 
against  my  canvass.  Honor  and  a  rich  quete  to 
the  clavier  of  the  convent,  therefore,  lor  it  is 
bringing  succor  to  the  poor  and  rest  to  the 
weary !" 

As  he  uttered  this  opinion,  Maso  decorously 
raised  his  cap,  and  pursued  his  straitened  walk 
with  the  industry  of  a  caged  tiger.  It  was  so  un 
usual  for  one  of  his  condition  to  obtrude  on  the 
discourse  of  the  fair  and  noble,  that  the  party  ex 
changed  looks  of  surprise ;  but,  the  Signor  Gri- 
maldi,  more  accustomed  than  most  of  his  friends 
to  the  frank  deportment  and  bold  speech  of  mari 
ners,  from  having  dwelt  long  on  the  coast  of  the 
Mediterranean,  felt  disposed  rather  to  humor  than 
to  repulse  this  disposition  to  talk. 

"  Thou  art  a  Genoese,  by  thy  dialect,"  he  said, 
assuming  as  a  matter  of  course  the  right  to  ques 
tion  one  of  years  so  much  fewer,  and  of  a  condi 
tion  so  much  inferior  to  his  own. 

"  Signore,"  returned  Maso,  uncovering  himself 
again,  though  his  manner  betrayed  profound  per 
sonal  respect  rather  than  the  deference  of  the  vul 
gar,  "  I  was  born  in  the  city  of  palaces,  though 
it  was  my  fortune  first  to  see  the  light  beneath  a 
humble  roof.  The  poorest  of  us  are  proud  of  the 
splendor  of  Genova  la  Superba,  even  if  its  glory 
has  come  from  our  own  groans." 

The  Signor  Grimaldi  frowned.  But,  ashamed 
to  permit  himself  to  be  disturbed  by  an  allusion  so 
vague,  and  perhaps  so  unpremeditated,  and  more 
especially  coming  as  it  did  from  so  insignificant  a 
source,  his  brow  regained  its  expression  of  ha 
bitual  composure. 

An  instant  of  reflection,  told  him  it  would  be 
in  better  taste  to  continue  the  conversation,  than 
rJiurlishly  to  cut  it  short  for  so  light  a  cause. 

'•  Thou  art  too  young  to  have  had  much  con* 


THE    HEADSMAN.  83 

nexion,  either  in  advantage  or  in  suffering,  he 
rejoined,  "  with  the  erection  of  the  gorgeous  dwell 
ings  to  which  thou  ailudest." 

"  This  is  true,  Signore ;  except  as  one  is  the 
better  or  worse  for  those  who  have  gone  before 
him.  I  am  what  I  seem,  more  by  the  acts  of 
others  than  by  any  faults  of  my  own.  I  envy  not 
the  rich  or  great,  howrever ;  for  one  that  has  seen 
as  much  of  life  as  I,  knows  the  difference  between 
the  gay  colors  of  the  garment,  and  that  of  the 
shrivelled  and  diseased  skin  it  conceals.  We  make 
our  feluccas  glittering  and  fine  with  paint,  when 
their  timbers  work  the  most,  and  when  the  treach 
erous  planks  are  ready  to  let  in  the  sea  to  drown 
us." 

"  Thou  hast  the  philosophy  of  it,  young  man, 
and  hast  uttered  a  biting  truth,  for  those  who  waste 
their  prime  in  chasing  a  phantom.  Thou  hast  well 
bethought  thee  of  these  matters,  for,  if  content 
with  thy  lot,  no  palace  of  our  city  would  make 
thee  happier." 

"  If,  Signore,  is  a  meaning  word ! — Content  is 
like  the  north-star — we  seamen  steer  for  it,  while 
none  can  ever  reach  it !" 

"  Am  I  then  deceived  in  thee,  after  all  ?  Is  thy 
seeming  moderation  only  affected;  and  would'st 
thou  be  the  patron  of  the  bark  in  which  fortune 
hath  made  thee  only  a  passenger  7" 

"  And  a  bad  fortune  it  hatn  proved,"  returned 
Maso,  laughing.  "  We  appear  fated  to  pass  the 
night  in  it,  for,  so  far  from  seeing  any  signs  of 
this  land-breeze  of  which  Baptiste  has  so  confi 
dently  spoken,  the  air  seems  to  have  gone  to  sleep 
as  well  as  the  crew.  Thou  art  accustomed  to  this 
climate,  reverend  Augustine ;  is  it  usual  to  see  so 
deep  a  calm  on  the  Leman  at  this  late  season  ?" 

A  question  like  this  was  well  adapted  to  effect 
Ihc  speaker's  wish  to  change  the  discourse,  for  ii 


84  THE    HEADSMAN. 

very  naturally  directed  the  attention  of  all  present 
from  a  subject  that  was  rather  tolerated  from  idle 
ness  than  interesting  in  itself,  to  the  different  natu 
ral  phenomena  by  which  they  were  surrounded. 
The  sun-set  had  now  fairly  passed,  and  the  trav 
ellers  were  at  the  witching  moment  that  precedes 
the  final  disappearance  of  the  day.  A  calm  so 
deep  rested  on  the  limpid  lake,  that  it  was  not  easy 
to  distinguish  the  line  which  separated  the  two 
elements,  in  those  places  where  the  blue  of  the 
land  was  confounded  with  the  well-known  and  pe 
culiar  color  of  the  Leman. 

The  precise  position  of  the  Winkelried  was  near 
mid-way  between  the  shores  of  Vaud  and  those 
of  Savoy,  though  nearer  to  the  first  than  to  the 
last.  Not  another  sail  was  visible  on  the  whole 
of  the  watery  expanse,  with  the  exception  of  one 
that  hung  lazily  from  its  yard,  in  a  small  bark  that 
was  pulling  towards  St.  Gingoulph,  bearing  Sa 
voyards  returning  to  their  homes  from  the  other 
side  of  the  lake,  and  which,  in  that  delusive  land 
scape,  appeared  to  the  eye  to  be  within  a  stone's 
throw  of  the  base  of  the  mountain,  though,  in 
truth,  still  a  weary  row  from  the  land. 

Nature  has  spread  her  work  on  a  scale  so  mag 
nificent  in  this  sublime  region  that  ocular  decep 
tions  of  this  character  abound,  and  it  requires 
time  and  practice  to  judge  of  those  measurements 
which  have  been  rendered  familiar  in  other  scenes, 
In  like  manner  to  the  bark  under  the  rocks  of  Sa 
voy,  there  lay  another,  a  heavy-moulded  boat, 
nearly  in  a  line  with  Villeneuve,  which  seemed  to 
float  in  the  air  instead  of  its  proper  element,  and 
whose  oars  were  seen  to  rise  and  fall  beneath  a 
high  mound,  that  was  rendered  shapeless  by  re 
fraction.  This  was  a  craft,  bearing  hay  from  the 
meadows  at  the  mouth  of  the  Rhone  to  their  pro 
prietors  in  the  villages  of  the  Swiss  coast.  A  favt 


THE    HEADSMAN.  85 

light  boats  were  pulling  about  in  front  of  the  town 
of  Vevey,  and  a  forest  of  low  masts  and  latine 
yards,  seen  in  the  hundred  picturesque  attitudes 
peculiar  to  the  rig,  crowded  the  wild  anchorage 
that  is  termed  its  port. 

An  air-line  drawn  from  St.  Saphorin  to  Meil- 
lerie,  would  have  passed  between  the  spars  of  the 
Winkelried,  her  distance  from  her  haven,  conse 
quently,  a  little  exceeded  a  marine  league.  This 
space  might  readily  have  been  conquered  in  an 
hour  or  two  by  means  of  the  sweeps,  but  for  the 
lumbered  condition  of  the  decks,  which  would  have 
rendered  their  use  difficult,  and  the  unusual  draught 
of  the  bark,  which  would  have  caused  the  exer 
tion  to  be  painful.  As  it  has  been  seen,  Baptiste 
preferred  waiting  for  the  arrival  of  the  night 
breeze  to  having  recourse  to  an  expedient  so  toil 
some  and  slow. 

We  have  already  said,  that  the  point  just  de 
scribed  was  at  the  place  where  the  Leman  fairly 
enters  its  eastern  horn,  and  where  its  shores  pos 
sess  their  boldest  and  finest  faces.  On  the  side  of 
Savoy,  the  coast  was  a  sublime  wall  of  rocks, 
here  and  there  clothed  with  chestnuts,  or  indented 
with  ravines  and  dark  glens,  and  naked  and  wild 
along  the  whole  line  of  their  giddy  summits.  The 
villages  so  frequently  mentioned,  and  which  hav« 
become  celebrated  in  these  later  times  by  the  touch 
of  genius,  clung  to  the  uneven  declivities,  their 
lower  dwellings  laved  by  the  lake,  and  their  upper 
confounded  with  the  rugged  faces  of  the  moun 
tains.  Beyond  the  limits  of  the  Leman,  the  Alps 
shot  up  into  still  higher  pinnacles,  occasionally 
showing  one  of  those  naked  excrescences  of  gra 
nite,  which  rise  for  a  thousand  feet  above  the  rest 
of  the  range — a  trifle  in  the  stupendous  scale  of 
the  vast  piles — and  which,  in  the  language  of  the 
Bountrv  are  not  inaptly  termed  Dents,  from  some 


86  THE    HEADSMAN. 

fancied  and  plausible  resemblance  to  human  teeth. 
The  verdant  meadows  of  Noville,  Aigle  and  Bex, 
spread  for  leagues  between  these  snow-capped 
barriers,  so  dwindled  to  the  eye,  however,  that  the 
spectator  believed  that  to  be  a  mere  bottom,  which 
was,  in  truth,  a  broad  and  fertile  plain.  Beyond 
these  again,  came  the  celebrated  pass  of  &t.  Mau 
rice,  where  the  foaming  Rhone  dashed  between 
two  abutments  of  rock,  as  if  anxious  to  effect  its 
exit  before  the  superincumbent  mountains  could 
come  together,  and  shut  it  out  for  ever  from  the 
inviting  basin  to  which  it  was  hurrying  with  a 
never-ceasing  din.  Behind  this  gorge,  so  cele 
brated  as  the  key  of  the  Valais,  and  even  of  the 
Alps  in  the  time  of  the  conquerors  of  the  world, 
the  back-ground  took  a  character  of  holy  mystery. 
The  shades  of  evening  lay  thick  in  that  enormous 
glen,  which  was  sufficiently  large  to  contain  a 
sovereign  state,  and  the  dark  piles  of  mountains 
beyond  were  seen  in  a  hazy,  confused  array.  The 
setting  was  a  grey  boundary  of  rocks,  on  which 
fleecy  clouds  rested,  as  if  tired  with  their  long  and 
high  flight,  and  on  which  the  parting  day  still  lin 
gered  soft  and  lucid.  One  cone  of  dazzling  white 
towered  over  all.  It  resembled  a  bright  stepping- 
stone  between  heaven  and  earth,  the  heat  of  the 
hot  sun  falling  innocuously  against  its  sides,  like 
the  cold  and  pure  breast  of  a  virgin  repelling  those 
treacherous  sentiments  which  prove  the  ruin  of  a 
shining  and  glorious  innocence.  Across  the  sum 
mit  of  this  brilliant  and  cloud-like  peak,  which 
formed  the  most  distant  object  in  the  view,  ran  the 
imaginary  line  that  divided  Italy  from  the  regions 
of  the  north.  Drawing  nearer,  and  holding  its 
course  on  the  opposite  shore,  the  eye  embraced  the 
range  of  rampart-like  rocks  that  beetle  over  Ville- 
neuve  and  Chillon,  the  latter  a  snow-white  pile  that 
seemed  to  rest  partly  on  the  land  and  partly  on  tho 


THE   HEADSMAN.  87 

water.  On  the  vast  debris  of  the  mountains  clus 
tered  the  hamlets  of  Clarens,  Montreux,  Chatelard, 
and  all  those  other  places,  since  rendered  so  fa 
miliar  to  the  reader  of  fiction  by  the  vivid  pen  of 
Rousseau.  Above  the  latter  village  the  whole  of 
the  savage  and  rocky  range  receded,  leaving  the 
lake-shore  to  vine-clad  cotes  that  stretch  away  far 
to  the  west. 

This  scene,  at  all  times  alluring  and  grand,  was 
now  beheld  under  its  most  favorable  auspices. 
The  glare  of  day  had  deserted  all  that  belonged  to 
what  might  be  termed  the  lower  world,  leaving  in 
its  stead  the  mild  hues,  the  pleasing  shadows,  and 
the  varying  tints  of  twilight.  It  is  true  that  a  hun 
dred  chalets  dotted  the  Alps,  or  those  mountain 
pasturages  which  spread  themselves  a  thousand 
fathoms  above  the  Leman,  on  the  foundation  of 
rock  that  lay  like  a  wall  behind  Montreux,  shining 
still  with  the  brightness  of  a  bland  even,  but  all  be 
low  was  fast  catching  the  more  sombre  colors  of 
the  hour. 

As  the  transition  from  day  to  night  grew  more 
palpable,  the  hamlets  of  Savoy  became  gray  and 
hazy,  the  shades  thickened  around  the  bases  of  the 
mountains  in  a  manner  to  render  their  forms  indis 
tinct  and  massive,  and  the  milder  glory  of  the 
scene  was  transferred  to  their  summits.  Seen  by 
sun-light,  these  noble  heights  appear  a  long  range 
of  naked  granite,  piled  on  a  foundation  of  chestnut- 
covered  hills,  and  buttressed  by  a  few  such  salient 
spurs  as  are  perhaps  necessary  to  give  variety  and 
agreeable  shadows  to  their  acclivities.  Their  out 
lines  were  now  drawn  in  those  waving  lines  that 
the  pencil  of  Raphael  would  have  loved  to  sketch, 
dark,  distinct,  and  appearing  to  be  carved  by  art. 
The  inflected  and  capricious  edges  of  the  rocks 
stood  out  in  high  relief  against  the  back-ground  of 
pearly  sky,  resembling  so  much  ebony  wrought 


88  THE    HEADSMAN. 

into  every  fantastic  curvature  that  a  wild  and  vivid 
fancy  could  conceive.  Of  all  the  wonderful  and 
imposing  sights  of  this  extraordinary  region,  there 
is  perhaps  none  in  which  there  is  so  exquisite  an 
admixture  of  the  noble,  the  beautiful,  and  the  be 
witching,  as  in  this  view  of  these  natural  arabesques 
of  Savoy,  seen  at  the  solemn  hour  of  twilight. 

The  Baron  de  Willading  and  his  friends  stood 
uncovered,  in  reverence  of  the  sublime  picture, 
which  could  only  come  from  the  hands  of  the  Crea 
tor,  ani  with  unalloyed  enjoyment  of  the  bland 
tranquillity  of  the  hour.  Exclamations  of  pleasure 
had  escaped  them,  as  the  exhibition  advanced ;  for 
the  view,  like  the  shifting  of  scenes,  was  in  a  con 
stant  state  of  transition  under  the  waning  and 
changing  light,  and  each  had  eagerly  pointed  out 
to  the  others  some  peculiar  charm  of  the  view. 
The  sight  was,  in  sooth,  of  a  nature  to  preclude 
selfishness,  no  one  catching  a  glimpse  that  he  did 
not  wish  to  be  shared  by  all.  Vevey,  their  jour 
ney,  the  fleeting  minutes,  and  their  disappointment, 
were  all  forgotten  in  the  delight  of  witnessing  this 
evening  landscape,  and  the  silence  was  broken  on 
ly  to  express  those  feelings  of  delight  which  had 
long  been  uppermost  in  every  bosom. 

"  I  doff  my  beaver  to  thy  Switzerland,  friend 
Melchior,"  cried  the  Signor  Grimaldi,  after  direct 
ing  the  attention  of  Adelheid  to  one  of  the  peaks  of 
Savoy,  of  which  he  had  just  remarked  that  it 
seemed  a  spot  where  an  angel  might  love  to  light 
in  his  visits  to  the  earth ;  "  if  thou  hast  much  of 
this,  we  of  Italy  must  look  to  it,  or — by  the  shades 
of  our  fathers !  we  shall  lose  our  reputation  for 
natural  beauty.  How  is  it  young  lady  ;  hast  thou 
many  of  these  sun-sets  at  Willading  ?  or,  is  this, 
after  all,  but  an  exception  to  what  thou  seest  in 
common — as  much  a  matter  of  astonishment  tc 


THE   HEADSMAN.  89 

thyself,  as — by  San  Francesco !  good  Marcelli,  we 
must  even  own,  it  is  to  thee  and  me  !" 

Adelheid  laughed  at  the  old  noble's  good-humor 
ed  rhapsody,  but,  much  as  she  loved  her  native 
land,  she  could  not  pervert  the  truth  by  pretending 
that  the  sight  was  one  to  be  often  met  with. 

"If  we  have  not  this,  however,  we  have  our 
glaciers,  our  lakes,  our  cottages,  our  chalets,  our 
Oberland,  and  such  glens  as  have  an  eternal  twi 
light  of  their  own." 

"Ay,  my  true-hearted  and  pretty  Swiss,  this 
is  well  for  thee  who  wilt  affirni  that  a  drop  of 
thy  snow-water  is  worth  a  thousand  limpid  springs, 
or  thou  art  not  the  true  child  of  old  Melchior  de 
Willading ;  but  it  is  lost  on  the  cooler  head  of  one 
who  has  seen  other  lands.  Father  Xavier,  thou 
art  a  neutral,  for  thy  dwelling  is  on  the  dividing 
ridge  between  the  two  countries,  and  I  appeal  to 
thee  to  know  if  these  Helvetians  have  much  of  this 
quality  of  evening  ?" 

The  worthy  monk  met  the  question  in  the  spirit 
with  which  it  was  asked,  for  the  elasticity  of  the 
air,  and  the  heavenly  tranquillity  and  bewitching 
loveliness  of  the  hour,  well  disposed  him  to  be 
joyous. 

"  To  maintain  my  character  as  an  impartial 
judge,"  he  answered,  "  I  will  say  that  each  region 
has  its  own  advantages.  If  Switzerland  is  the 
most  wonderful  and  imposing,  Italy  is  the  most 
winning.  The  latter  leaves  more  durable  impres 
sions  and  is  more  fondly  cherished.  One  strikes 
tne  senses,  but  the  other  slowly  winds  its  way  into 
the  affections  ;  and  he  who  has  freely  vented  his 
admiration  in  exclamations  and  epithets  in  one, 
will,  in  the  end,  want  language  to  express  all  the 
secret  longings,  the  fond  recollections,  the  deep 
repinings,  that  he  retains  for  the  other." 

"  Fairly  reasoned,  friend  Melchior,  and  like  an 
H2 


00  THE   HEADSMAN. 

able  umpire,  leaving  to  each  his  share  of  conso 
lation  and  vanity.      Herr  Miiller,  dost  thou  agree 
in  a  decision  that  gives  thy  muchvaunted  Switzer 
land  so  formidable  a  rival  ? " 

"  Signore,"  answered  the  meek  traveller,  "I  see 
enough  to  admire  and  love  in  both,  as  is  always 
the  fact  with  that  which  God  hath  formed.  This 
is  a  glorious  world  for  the  happy,  and  most  might 
be  so,  could  they  summon  courage  to  be  innocent." 

"  The  good  Augustine  will  tell  thee  that  this 
bears  hard  on  certain  points  of  theology,  in  which 
our  common  nature  is  treated  with  but  indifferent 
respect.  He  that  would  continue  innocent  must 
struggle  hard  with  his  propensities." 

The  stranger  was  thoughtful,  and  Sigismund, 
whose  eye  had  been  earnestly  riveted  on  his  face, 
thought  that  it  denoted  more  of  peace  then  usual. 

"  Signore,"  rejoined  the  Herr  Miiller,  when  time 
had  been  given  for  reflection,  "  I  believe  it  i&  good 
for  us  to  know  unhappiness.  He  that  is  permitted 
too  much  of  his  own  will  gets  to  be  headstrong, 
and,  like  the  overfed  bullock,  difficult  to  te  man 
aged  ;  whereas,  he  who  lives  under  the  displeasure 
of  his  fellow-creatures  is  driven  to  look  closely 
into  himself,  and  comes,  at  last,  to  Chasten  his 
spirit  by  detecting  its  faults." 

"  Art  thou  a  follower  of  Calvin  7"  demanded  the 
Augustine  suddenly,  surprised  to  heai  opinions  so 
healthful  in  the  mouth  of  a  dissenter  from  the  true 
church. 

"  Father,  I  belong  neither  to  Rome  nor  to  the 
religion  of  Geneva.  I  am  a  humble  worshipper 
of  God,  and  a  believer  in  the  blessed  mediation  of 
his  holy  Son." 

"  How ! — Where  dost  thou  find  such  sentiments 
out  of  the  pale  of  the  church  ?' 

"In  mine  own  heart.  This  is  my  temple,  holy 
Augustine,  and  I  never  enter  it  without  adoration 


THE    HEADSMAN.  91 

for  its  Almighty  founder.  A  cloud  was  over  the 
roof  of  my  father  at  my  birth,  and  I  have  not  been 
permitted  to  mingle  much  with  men ;  but  the  soli 
tude  of  my  life  has  driven  me  to  study  my  own 
nature,  which  I  hope  has  become  none  the  worse 
for  the  examination.  I  know  I  am  an  unworthy 
and  sinful  man,  and  I  hope  others  are  as  much 
better  than  I  as  their  opinions  of  themselves  would 
give  reason  to  think." 

The  words  of  the  Herr  Miiller,  which  lost  none 
of  their  weight  by  his  unaffected  and  quiet  manner, 
excited  curiosity.  At  first,  most  of  the  listeners 
were  disposed  to  believe  him  one  of  those  exag 
gerated  spirits  who  exalt  themselves  by  a  pretended 
self-abasement,  but  his  natural,  quiet,  and  thought 
ful  deportment  soon  produced  a  more  favorable 
opinion.  There  was  a  habit  of  reflection,  a  retreat 
ing  inward  look  about  his  eye,  that  revealed  the 
character  of  one  long  and  truly  accustomed  to 
look  more  at  himself  than  at  others,  and  which 
wrought  singularly  in  his  behalf. 

"  We  may  not  all  have  these  flattering  opinions 
of  ourselves  that  thy  words  would  seem  to  imply 
Signor  Miiller,"  observed  the  Genoese,  his  tone 
changing  to  one  better  suited  to  soothe  the  feelings 
of  the  person  addressed,  while  a  shade  insensibly 
stole  over  his  own  venerable  features;  "neither 
are  all  at  peace  that  so  seem.  If  it  will  be  any 
consolation  to  thee  to  know  that  others  are  probably 
no  more  happy  than  thyself,  I  will  add  that  I  have 
known  much  pain,  and  that,  too,  amid  circum 
stances  which  most  would  deem  fortunate,  and 
which,  I  fear,  a  great  majority  of  mankind  might 
be  disposed  to  envy." 

"  I  should  be  base  indeed  to  seek  consolation  in 
such  a  source  !  I  do  not  complain,  Signore,  though 
my  whole  life  has  so  passed  that  I  can  hardly  say 
that  I  enjoy  it.  It  is  not  easy  to  smile  when  we 


92  THE   HEADSMAN. 

know  that  all  frown  upon  us ;  else  could  I  be  con 
tent.     As  it  is,  I  rather  feel  than  repine." 

"  This  is  a  most  singular  condition  of  the  mind ;" 
whispered  Adelheid  to  young  Sigismund ;  for  both 
had  been  deeply  attentive  listeners  to  the  calm  but 
strong  language  of  the  Herr  Miiller.  The  young 
man  did  not  answer,  and  his  fair  companion  saw 
with  surprise,  that  he  was  pale,  and  with  difficulty 
noticed  her  remark  with  a  smile. 

"  The  frowns  of  men,  my  son,"  observed  the 
monk,  "are  usually  reserved  for  those  who  offend 
its  ordinances.  The  latter  may  not  be  always  just, 
but  there  is  a  common  sentiment  which  refuses  to 
visit  innocence,  even  in  the  narrow  sense  in  which 
we  understand  the  word,  with  undeserved  dis 
pleasure." 

The  Herr  Miiller  looked  earnestly  at  the  Au 
gustine,  and  he  seemed  about  to  answer ;  but, 
checking  the  impulse,  he  bowed  in  submission.  At 
the  same  time,  a  wild,  painful  smile  gleamed  on 
his  face. 

"  I  agree  with  thee,  good  canon,"  rejoined  the 
simple-minded  baron  :  "  we  are  much  addicted  to 
quarrelling  with  the  world,  but,  after  all,  when  we 
look  closely  into  the  matter,  it  will  commonly  be 
found  that  the  cause  of  our  grievances  exists  in 
ourselves." 

"  Is  there  no  Providence,  father  ?"  exclaimed 
Adelheid,  a  little  reproachfully  for  one  of  her  re 
spectful  habks  and  great  filial  tenderness.  "  Can 
we  recall  the  dead  to  life,  or  keep  those  quick 
whom  God  is  pleased  to  destroy  ?" 

"  Thou  hast  me,  girl ! — there  is  a  truth  in  this 
that  no  bereaved  parent  can  deny !" 

This  remark  produced  an  embarrassed  pause, 
during  which  the  Herr  Miiller  gazed  furtively 
about  him,  looking  from  the  face  of  one  to  that  of 
another.,  as  if  seeking  for  some  countenance  on 


THE   HEADSMAN.  93 

which  he  could  rely.  But  he  turned  away  to  the 
view  of  those  hills  which  had  been  so  curiously 
wrought  by  the  finger  of  the  Almighty,  and  seemed 
to  lose  himself  in  their  contemplation. 

"  This  is  some  spirit  that  has  been  bruised  by 
early  indiscretion,"  said  the  Signor  Grimaldi,  in  a 
low  voice,  "  and  whose  repentance  is  strangely 
mixed  with  resignation.  I  know  not  whether  such 
a  man  is  most  to  be  envied  or  pitied.  There  is  a 
fearful  mixture  of  resignation  and  of  suffering  in 
his  air." 

"  He  has  not  the  mien  of  a  stabber  or  a  knave," 
answered  the  baron.  "  If  he  comes  truly  of  the 
Miillers  of  the  Emmen  Thai,  or  even  of  those  of 
Entlibuch,  I  should  know  something  of  his  history. 
They  are  warm  burghers,  and  mostly  of  fair  name. 
It  is  true,  that  in  my  youth  one  of  the  family  got 
out  of  favor  with  the  councils,  on  account  of  some 
concealment  of  their  lawful  claims  in  the  way  of 
revenue,  but  the  man  made  an  atonement  that  was 
deemed  sufficient  in  amount,  and  the  matter  was 
forgotten.  It  is  not  usual,  Herr  Miiller,  to  meet 
citizens  in  our  canton  who  go  for  neither  Rome 
nor  Calvin." 

"  It  is  not  usual,  mein  Herr,  to  meet  men  placed 
as  I  am.  Neither  Rome  nor  Calvin  is  sufficient 
for  me  ; — I  have  need  of  God  !" 

"  I  fear  thou  hast  taken  life  ?" 

The  stranger  bowed,  and  his  face  grew  livid, 
seemingly  with  the  intensity  of  his  own  thoughts. 
Melchior  de  Willading  so  disliked  the  expression, 
that  he  turned  away  his  eyes  in  uneasiness.  The 
other  glanced  frequently  at  the  forward  part  of  the 
bark,  and  he  seemed  struggling  haid  to  speak,  but, 
for  some  strong  reason,  unable  to  effect  his  pur 
pose.  Uncovering  himself,  at  length,  he  said 
steadily,  as  if  superior  to  shame,  while  he  fully  felt 


04  THE    HEADSMAN. 

tne  import  of  his  communication,  but  in  a  voice 
that  was  cautiously  suppressed — 

"  I  am  Balthazar,  of  your  canton,  Herr  Baron, 
and  I  pray  your  powerful  succor,  should  those 
untamed  spirits  on  the  forecastle  come  to  discover 
the  truth.  My  blood  hath  been  made  to  curdle 
to-day  whilst  listening  to  their  heartless  threats 
and  terrible  maledictions.  Without  this  fear,  I 
should  have  kept  my  secret, — for  God  knows  I  am 
not  proud  of  my  office !" 

The  general  and  sudden  surprise,  accompanied 
as  it  was  by  a  common  movement  of  aversion, 
induced  the  Signor  Grimaldi  to  demand  the  reason. 

"  Thy  name  is  not  in  much  favour  apparently, 
Herr  Miiller,  or  Herr  Balthazar,  whichever  it  is 
thy  pleasure  to  be  called,"  observed  the  Genoese, 
casting  a  quick  glance  around  the  circle.  "  There 
is  some  mystery  in  it,  that  to  me  needs  explana 
tion." 

"  Signore,  I  am  the  headsman  of  Berne." 

Though  long  schooled  in  the  polished  habits  of 
his  high  condition,  which  taught  him  ordinarily  to 
repress  strong  emotions,  the  Signor  Grimaldi  could 
not  conceal  the  start  which  this  unexpected  an 
nouncement  produced,  for  he  had  not  escaped  the 
usual  prejudices  of  men. 

"  Truly,  we  have  been  fortunate  in  our  associate, 
Melchior,"  he  said  drily,  turning  without  ceremo 
ny  from  the  man  whose  modest,  quiet  mien  had 
lately  interested  him  so  much,  but  whose  manner 
he  now  took  to  be  assumed, — few  pausing  to  in 
vestigate  the  motives  of  those  who  are  condemned 
of  opinion : — "  here  has  been  much  excellent  and 
useful  morality  thrown  away  upon  a  very  unworthy 
subject  1" 

The  baron  received  the  intelligence  of  the  real 
name  of  their  travelling  companion  with  less  feel* 
mg.  He  had  been  greatly  puzzled  to  account  fo> 


THE    HEADSMAN.  95 

the  singular  language  he  had  heard,  and  he  found 
relief  in  so  brief  a  solution  of  the  difficulty. 

"  The  pretended  name,  after  all,  then,  is  only  a 
cloak  to  conceal  the  truth !  I  knew  the  Miillers  of 
the  Emmen  Thai  so  well,  that  I  had  great  difficulty 
in  fitting  the  character  which  the  honest  man  gave 
of  himself  fairly  upon  any  one  of  them  all.  But  it 
is  now  clear  enough,  and  doubtless  Balthazar  has 
no  great  reason  to  be  proud  of  the  turn  which  For 
tune  has  played  his  family  in  making  them  execu 
tioners." 

"  Is  the  office  hereditary  ?"  demanded  the 
Genoese,  quickly. 

"  It  is.  Thou  knowest  that  we  of  Berne  have 
great  respect  for  ancient  usages.  He  that  is  born 
to  the  Biirgerschaft  will  die  in  the  exercise  of  his 
rights,  and  he  that  is  born  out  of  its  venerable  pale 
must  be  satisfied  to  live  out  of  it,  unless  he  has  gold 
or  favor.  Our  institutions  are  a  hint  from  nature, 
which  leaves  men  as  they  are  created,  preserving 
the  order  and  harmony  of  society  by  venerable 
and  well-defined  law~s,  as  is  wise  and  necessary. 
In  nature,  he  that  is  born  strong  remains  strong, 
and  he  that  has  little  force  must  be  content  with 
his  feebleness." 

The  Signor  Grimaldi  looked  like  one  who  fell 
contrition. 

"  Art  thou,  in  truth,  an  hereditary  executioner?" 
he  asked,  addressing  Balthazar  himself. 

"  Signore,  lam:  else  would  hand  of  mine  have 
never  taken  life.  'Tis  a  hard  duty  to  perform, 
even  under  the  obligations  and  penalties  of  the 
aw; — otherwise,  it  were  accursed!" 

"  Thy  fathers  deemed  it  a  privilege !' 

"  We  suffer  for  their  erroi  :  Signore,  the  sins  of 
the  fathers,  in  our  case,  have  indeed  been  visited 
on  the  children  to  the  latest  generations." 

The  countenance  of  the  Genoese  grew  brighter 


9G  THE  HEADSMA1T. 

and  his  voice  resumed  the  polished  tones  in  which 
he  usually  spoke. 

"  Here  has  been  some  injustice  of  a  certainty," 
ne  said,  "  or  one  of  thy  appearance  would  not  be 
found  in  this  cruel  position.  Depend  on  our  au 
thority  to  protect  thee,  should  the  danger  thon 
seemest  to  apprehend  really  occur.  Still  the  laws 
must  be  respected,  though  not  always  of  the  rigid 
impartiality  that  we  might  wish.  Thou  hast  own 
ed  the  imperfection  of  human  nature,  and  it  is  not 
wonderful  that  its  work  should  have  flaws." 

"  I  complain  not  now  of  the  usage,  which  to  me 
has  become  habit,  but  I  dread  the  untamed  fury  of 
these  ignorant  and  credulous  men,  who  have  taken 
a  wild  fancy  that  my  presence  might  bring  a  curse 
upon  the  bark." 

There  are  accidental  situations  which  contain 
more  healthful  morals  than  can  be  drawn  from  a 
thousand  ingenious  and  plausible  homilies,  and  in 
which  facts,  in  their  naked  simplicity,  are  far  more 
eloquent  than  any  meaning  that  can  be  conveyed 
by  words.  Such  was  the  case  with  this  meek  and 
unexpected  appeal  of  Balthazar.  All  who  heard 
him  saw  his  situation  under  very  different  colors 
from  those  in  which  it  would  have  been  regarded 
had  the  subject  presented  itself  under  ordinary  cir 
cumstances.  A  common  and  painful  sentiment  at 
tested  strongly  against  the  oppression  that  had  giv 
en  birth  to  his  wrongs,  and  the  good  Melchior  de 
Willading  himself  wondered  how  a  case  of  this 
striking  injustice  could  have  arisen  under  the  lawi 
of  Berne. 


THE   HEADSMAN.  97 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Metliought  I  saw  a  thousand  fearful  wrecks, 
A  thousand  men  that  fishes  gnawed  upon ; 
Wedges  of  gold,  great  anchors,  heaps  of  pearl, 
Inestimable  stones,  unvalued  jewels, 
All  scattered  in  the  bottom  of  the  sea. 

Richard  III. 

The  flitting  twilight  was  now  on  the  wane,  and 
the  shades  of  evening  were  gathering  fast  over 


the  deep  basin  of  the  lake.  The  figure  of  Maso, 
as  he  continued  to  pace  his  elevated  platform,  was 
drawn  dark  and  distinct  against  the  southern  sky, 
in  which  some  of  the  last  rays  of  the  sun  still  lin 
gered,  but  objects  on  both  shores  were  getting  to 
be  confounded  with  the  shapeless  masses  of  the 
mountains.  Here  and  there  a  pale  star  peeped 
out,  though  most  of  the  vault  that  stretched  across 
the  confined  horizon  was  shut  in  by  dusky  clouds. 
A  streak  of  dull,  unnatural  light  was  seen  in  the 
quarter  which  lay  above  the  meadows  of  the 
Rhone,  and  nearly  in  a  direction  with  the  peak  of 
Mont  Blanc,  which,  though  not  visible  from  this 
portion  of  the  Leman,  was  known  to  lie  behind 
the  ramparts  of  Savoy,  like  a  monarch  of  the  hills 
entrenched  in  his  citadel  of  rocks  and  ice. 

The  change,  the  lateness  of  the  hour,  and  the 
unpleasant  reflections  left  by  the  short  dialogue 
with  Balthazar,  produced  a  strong  and  common 
desire  to  see  the  end  of  a  navigation  that  was  be 
ginning  to  be  irksome.  Those  objects  which  had 
lately  yielded  so  much  and  so  pure  a  delight  were 
now  getting  to  be  black  and  menacing,  and  the 
very  sublimity  of  the  scale  on  which  Nature  had 
here  thrown  together  her  elements  was  an  addi- 


98  THE    HEADSMAN 

tional  source  of  uncertainty  and  alarm.     Those 
fairy-like,    softly-delineated,    natural    arabesques, 
which  had  so  lately  been  dwelt  upon  with  rapture 
were  now  converted  into  dreary  crags  that  seem 
ed  to  beetle  above  the  helpless  bark,  giving  un 
pleasant  admonitions  of  the  savage  and  inhospita 
bb  properties  of  their  iron-bound   bases,   which 
were  known  to  prove  destructive  to  all  who  were 
cast  against  them  while  the  elements  were  in  dis 
order. 

These  changes  in  the  character  of  the  scene, 
which  in  some  respects  began  to  take  the  aspect 
of  omens,  were  uneasily  witnessed  by  all  in  the 
stern  of  the  bark,  though  the  careless  laughter,  the 
rude  joke,  and  the  noisy  cries,  which  from  time  to 
time  arose  on  the  forecastle,  sufficiently  showed 
that  the  careless  spirits  it  held  were  still  indulging 
in  the  coarse  enjoyments  most  suited  to  their  hab 
its.  One  individual,  however,  was  seen  stealing 
from  the  crowd,  and  establishing  himself  on  the 
pile  of  freight,  as  if  he  had  a  mind  more  addicted 
to  reflection,  and  less  disposed  to  unmeaning  rev 
elry,  than  most  of  those  whom  he  had  just  aban 
doned.  This  was  the  Westphalian  student,  who, 
wearied  with  amusements  that  were  below  the 
level  of  his  acquirements,  and  suddenly  struck 
with  the  imposing  aspect  of  the  lake  and  the  moun 
tains,  had  stolen  apart  to  muse  on  his  distant  home 
and  the  beings  most  dear  to  him,  under  an  excite 
ment  that  suited  those  morbid  sensibilities  which 
ne  had  long  encouraged  by  a  very  subtle  metaphys 
ical  system  of  philosophy.  Until  now,  Maso 
had  paced  his  lofty  post  with  his  eye  fixed  chiefly 
on  the  heavens  in  the  direction  of  Mont  Blanc,  oc 
casionally  turning  it,  however,  over  the  motionless 
bulk  of  the  bark,  but  when  the  student  placed  him 
self  across  his  path,  he  stopped  and  smiled  at  the 


THE    HEADSMAN.  99 

abstracted  air  and  riveted  regard  with  which  the 
youth  gazed  at  a  star. 

"  Art  thou  an  astronomer,  that  thou  lookest  so 
closely  at  yonder  shining  world  1"  demanded  II 
Maledetto,  with  the  superiority  that  the  mariner 
afloat  is  wont  successfully  to  assume  over  the  un 
happy  wight  of  a  landsman,  who  is  very  liable  to 
admit  his  own  impotency  on  the  novel  and  dan 
gerous  element : — "  the  astrologer  himself  would 
not  study  it  more  deeply." 

"  This  is  the  hour  agreed  upon  between  me  and 
one  that  I  love  to  bring  the  unseen  principle  of  our 
spirits  together,  by  communing  through  its  me 
dium." 

"  I  have  heard  of  such  means  of  intercourse. 
Dost  see  more  than  others  by  reason  of  such  an 
assistant  1" 

"  I  see  the  object  which  is  gazed  upon,  at  this 
moment,  by  kind  blue  eyes  that  have  often  looked 
upon  me  in  affection.  When  we  are  in  a  strange 
land,  and  in  a  fearful  situation,  such  a  communion 
has  its  pleasures  !" 

Maso  laid  his  hand  upon  the  shoulder  of  the  stu 
dent,  which  he  pressed  with  the  force  of  a  vice. 

"  Thou  art  right,"  he  said,  moodily  ;  "  make  the 
most  of  thy  friendships,  and,  if  there  are  any 
that  love  thee,  tighten  the  knot  by  all  the  means 
thou  hast.  None  know  the  curse  of  being  deserted 
in  this  selfish  and  cruel  battle  of  interest  better 
than  I !  Be  not  ashamed  of  thy  star,  but  gaze  at 
it  till  thy  eye-strings  crack.  See  the  bright  eyes 
of  her  that  loves  thee  in  its  twinkling,  her  constancy 
in  its  lustre,  and  her  melancholy  in  its  sadness ; 
lose  not  the  happy  moments,  for  there  will  soon 
oe  a  dark  curtain  to  shut  out  its  view." 

The  Westphalian  was  struck  with  the  singular 
energy  as  well  as  with  the  poetry  of  the  mariner, 
and  he  distrusted  the  obvious  allusion  to  the  clouds. 


100  THE    HEADSMAN. 

which  were,  in  fact,  fast  covering  the  vault  above 
their  heads. 

"  Dost  thou  like  the  night  V1  he  demanded,  turn 
ing  from  his  star  in  doubt. 

"  It  might  be  fairer.  This  is  a  wild  region,  and 
your  cold  Swiss  lakes  sometimes  become  too  hot 
for  the  stoutest  seaman's  heart.  Gaze  at  thy  star 
young  man,  while  thou  mayest,  and  bethink  thee 
of  the  maiden  thou  lovest  and  of  all  her  kindness ; 
we  are  on  a  crazy  water,  and  pleasant  thoughts 
should  not  be  lightly  thrown  away." 

Maso  walked  away,  leaving  the  student  alarmed, 
uneasy  at  he  knew  not  what,  and  yet  bent  with 
childish  eagerness  on  regarding  the  little  luminary 
that  occasionally  was  still  seen  wading  among 
volumes  of  vapor.  At  this  instant,  a  shout  of 
unmeaning,  clamorous  merriment  arose  on  the 
forecastle. 

II  Maledetto  did  not  remain  any  longer  on  the 
pile,  but  abandoning  it  to  the  new  occupant,  he 
descended  among  the  silent,  thoughtful  party  who 
were  in  possession  of  the  cleared  space  near  the 
stern.  It  was  now  so  dark  that  some  little  at 
tention  was  necessary  to  distinguish  faces,  even 
at  trifling  distances.  But,  by  means  of  moving 
among  these  privileged  persons  with  great  cool 
ness  and  seeming  indifference,  he  soon  succeeded 
in  placing  himself  near  the  Genoese  and  the  Au 
gustine. 

"  Signore,"  he  said,  in  Italian,  raising  his  cap 
to  the  former  with  the  same  marked  respect  as 
before,  though  it  was  evidently  no  easy  matter  to 
impress  him  with  the  deference  that  the  obscure 
usually  feel  for  the  great — "  this  is  likely  to  prove 
an  unfortunate  end  to  a  voyage  that  began  with 
so  fair  appearances.  I  could  wish  that  your  ec- 
cellenza,  with  all  this  noble  and  fair  company,  was 
safely  landed  in  the  town  of  Vevey." 


THE   HEADSMAN.  101 

'•*  Dost  thou  mean  that  we  have  cause  to  fear 
more  than  delay  ?" 

"  Signore,  the  mariner's  life  is  one  of  unequal 
chances  :  now  he  floats  in  a  lazy  calm,  and  pres 
ently  he  is  tossed  between  heaven  and  earth,  in  a 
way  to  make  the  stoutest  heart  sick.  My  know 
ledge  of  these  waters  is  not  great,  but  there  are 
signs  making  themselves  seen  in  the  sky,  here 
above  the  peak  that  lies  in  the  direction  of  Mont 
Blanc,  that  would  trouble  me,  were  this  our  own 
clue  but  treacherous  Mediterranean." 

"  What  thinkest  thou  of  this,  father ;  a  long 
residence  in  the  Alps  must  have  given  thee  some 
insight  into  their  storms  ?" 

The  Augustine  had  been  grave  and  thoughtful 
from  the  moment  that  he  ceased  to  converse  with 
Balthazar.  He,  too,  had  been  struck  with  the 
omens,  and,  long  used  to  study  the  changes  of  the 
weather,  in  a  region  where  the  elements  sometimes 
work  their  will  on  a  scale  commensurate  with  the 
grandeur  of  the  mountains,  his  thoughts  had  been 
anxiously  recurring  to  the  comforts  and  security 
of  some  of  those  hospitable  roofs  in  the  city  to 
which  they  were  bound,  and  which  were  always 
ready  to  receive  the  clavier  of  St.  Bernard,  in  re 
turn  for  the  services  and  self-denial  of  his  bro 
therhood. 

"  With  Maso,  I  could  wish  we  were  safely  land 
ed,"  answered  the  good  canon  ;  "  the  intense  heat 
that  a  day  like  this  creates  in  our  valleys  and  on 
the  lakes  so  weakens  the  sub-strata,  or  foundations 
of  air,  that  the  cold  masses  which  collect  around 
he  glaciers  sometimes  descend  like  avalanches 
rom  their  heights,  to  fill  the  vacuum.     The  shock 
s  fearful,  even  to  those  who  meet  it  in  the  glens 
and  among  the  rocks,  but  the  plunge  of  such  a 
column  of  air  upon  one  of  the  lakes  is  certain  to  be 
terrible." 

I  2 


102  THE    HEADSMAN. 

"  And  them  thinkest  there  is  danger  of  one  oi 
these  phenomena  at  present  ?" 

"  I  know  not ;  but  I  would  we  were  housed  ! 
That  unnatural  light  above,  and  this  deep  tranquil 
lity  below,  which  surpasses  an  ordinary  calm 
have  already  driven  me  to  my  aves." 

"  The  reverend  Augustine  speaks  like  a  book 
man,  and  one  who  has  passed  his  time,  up  in  his 
mountain-convent,  in  study  and  reflection,"  rejoin 
ed  Maso ;  "  whereas  the  reasons  I  have  to  offer 
savor  more  of  the  seaman's  practice.  A  calm 
like  this,  will  be  followed,  sooner  or  later,  by  a 
commotion  in  the  atmosphere.  I  like  not  the  ab 
sence  of  the  breeze  from  the  land,  on  which  Bap- 
tiste  counted  so  surely,  and,  taking  that  symptom 
with  the  signs  of  yonder  hot  sky,  I  look  soon  to 
see  this  extraordinary  quiet  displaced  by  some  vi 
olent  struggle  among  the  winds.  Nettuno,  too, 
my  faithful  dog,  has  given  notice,  by  the  manner 
in  which  he  snuffs  the  air,  that  we  are  not  to  pass 
the  night  in  this  motionless  condition." 

"  I  had  hoped  ere  this  to  be  quietly  in  our  ha 
ven.  What  means  yonder  bright  light?  Is  it  a 
star  in  the  heavens,  or  does  it  merely  lie  against 
the  side  of  the  huge  mountain  ?" 

"  There  shines  old  Roger  de  Blonay  !"  cried 
the  baron,  heartily ;  "  he  knows  of  our  being  in 
the  bark,  and  he  has  fired  his  beacon  that  we  may 
steer  by  its  light." 

The  conjecture  seemed  probable,  for,  while  the 
day  remained,  the  castle  of  Blonay,  seated  on  the 
bosom  of  the  mountain  that  shelters  Vevey  to  the 
north-east,  had  been  plainly  visible.  It  had  been 
much  admired,  a  pleasing  object  in  a  view  that 
was  so  richly  studded  with  hamlets  and  castles, 
and  Adelheid  had  pointed  it  out  to  Sigismund  as 
the  immediate  goal  of  her  journey.  The  lord 
of  Blonay  being  apprized  of  the  intended  visit, 


THE    HEADSMAN.  103 

nothing  was  more  probable  than  that  he,  an  old 
and  tried  friend  of  Melchior  de  Willading's 
should  show  this  sign  of  impatience;  partly  in 
compliment  to  those  whom  he  expected,  and 
partly  as  a  signal  that  might  be  really  useful  t 
those  who  navigated  the  Leman,  in  a  night  that 
threatened  so  much  murky  obscurity. 

The  Signor  Grimaldi  rightly  deemed  the  cir 
cumstances  grave,  and,  calling  to  him  his  friend 
and  Sigismund,  he  communicated  the  apprehen 
sions  of  the  monk  and  Maso.  A  braver  man  than 
Melchior  de  Willading  did  not  dwell  in  all  Switz 
erland,  but  he  did  not  hear  the  gloomy  predictions 
of  the  Genoese  without  shaking  in  every  limb. 

"  My  poor  enfeebled  Adelheid !"  he  said,  yield 
ing  to  a  father's  tenderness  :  "  what  will  become 
of  this  frail  plant,  if  exposed  to  a  tempest  in  an 
unsheltered  bark  ?" 

"  She  will  be  with  her  father,  and  with  her 
father's  friend,"  answered  the  maiden  herself;  for 
the  narrow  limits  to  which  they  were  necessarily 
confined,  and  the  sudden  burst  of  feeling  in  the 
parent,  which  had  rendered  him  incautious  in 
pitching  his  voice,  made  her  the  mistress  of  the 
cause  of  alarm.  "  I  have  heard  enough  of  what 
the  good  Father  Xavier  and  this  mariner  have 
said,  to  know  that  we  are  in  a  situation  that  might 
be  better ;  but  am  I  not  with  tried  friends  ?  I 
know  already  what  the  Herr  Sigismund  can  do 
in  behalf  of  my  life,  and  come  what  may,  we 
have  all  a  beneficent  guardian  in  One,  who  will 
not  leave  any  of  us  to  perish  without  remember 
ing  we  are  his  children." 

"  This  girl  shames  us  all,"  said  the  Signor  Gri 
maldi  ;  "  but  it  is  often  thus  with  these  fragile 
beings,  who  rise  the  firmest  and  noblest  in  mo 
ments  when  prouder  man  begins  to  despair.  They 
put  their  trust  in  God,  who  is  a  prop  to  sustain 


104  THE   HEADSMAN. 

even  those  who  arc  feebler  than  our  gentle  Adel 
heid.  But  we  will  not  exaggerate  the  causes  of 
apprehension,  which,  after  all,  may  pass  away 
like  many  other  threatening  dangers,  and  leave 
us  hours  of  felicitation  and  laughter  in  return  for 
a  few  minutes  of  fright." 

"  Say,  rather  of  thanksgiving,"  observed  the 
clavier,  "  for  the  aspect  of  the  heavens  is  getting 
to  be  fearfully  solemn.  Thou,  who  art  a  mariner — 
hast  thou  nothing  to  suggest  ?" 

"  We  have  the  simple  expedient  of  our  sweeps, 
father ;  but,  after  neglecting  their  use  so  long,  it 
is  now  too  late  to  have  recourse  to  them.  We 
could  not  reach  Vevey  by  such  means,  with  this 
bark  loaded  to  the  water's  edge,  before  the  night 
would  change,  and,  the  water  once  fairly  in  mo 
tion,  they  could  not  be  used  at  all." 

"  But  we  have  our  sails,"  put  in  the  Genoese  ; 
"  they  at  least  may  do  us  good  service  when  the 
wind  shall  come." 

Maso  shook  his  head,  but  he  made  no  answer. 
After  a  brief  pause,  in  which  he  seemed  to  study 
the  heavens  still  more  closely,  he  went  to  the  spot 
where  the  patron  yet  lay  lost  in  sleep,  and  shook 
him  rudely. — "  Ho  !  Baptiste  !  awake  !  there  is 
need  here  of  thy  counsel  and  of  thy  commands." 

The  drowsy  owner  of  the  bark  rubbed  his  eyes, 
and  slowly  regained  the  use  of  his  faculties. 

"  There  is  not  a  breath  of  wind,"  he  muttered ; 
"why  didst  awake  me,  Maso? — One  that  hath 
led  thy  life  should  know  that  sleep  is  sweet  to 
those  who  toil." 

"  Ay,  'tis  their  advantage  over  the  pampered 
and  idle.  Look  at  the  heavens,  man,  and  let  us 
know  what  thou  thinkest  of  their  appearance.  Is 
there  the  stuff  in  thy  Winkelried  to  ride  out  a 
storm  like  this  we  may  have  to  encounter  ?" 

"  Thou  talkest  like  a  foolish  quean  that  has  been 


THE    HEADSMAN.  ll>6 

frightened  by  the  fluttering  of  her  own  poultry. 
The  lake  was  never  more  calm,  or  the  bark  in 
greater  safety." 

"  Dost  see  yonder  bright  light ;  here,  over  the 
tower  of  thy  Vevey  church  ?" 

"  Ay,  'tis  a  gallant  star  !  and  a  fair  sign  for  the 
mariner." 

"  Fo.ol,  'tis  a  hot  flame  in  Roger  de  Blonay's 
beacon.  They  begin  to  see  that  we  are  in  dan 
ger  on  the  shore,  and  they  cast  out  their  signals 
to  give  us  notice  to  be  active.  They  think  us  be 
stirring  ourselves  like  stout  men,  and  those  used 
to  the  water,  while,  in  truth,  we  are  as  undis 
turbed  as  if  the  bark  were  a  rock  that  might 
laugh  at  the  Leman  and  its  waves.  The  man  is 
benumbed,"  continued  Maso,  turning  away  to 
wards  the  anxious  listeners ;  "  he  will  not  see  that 
which  is  getting  to  be  but  too  plain  to  all  the 
others  in  his  vessel." 

Another  idle  and  general  laugh  from  the  fore 
castle  came  to  contradict  this  opinion  of  Maso's, 
and  to  prove  how  easy  it  is  for  the  ignorant  to 
exist  in  security,  even  on  the  brink  of  destruction. 
This  was  the  moment,  when  nature  gave  the  first 
of  those  signals  that  were  intelligible  to  vulgar 
capacities.  The  whole  vault  of  the  heavens  was 
now  veiled,  with  the  exception  of  the  spot  so  often 
named,  which  lay  nearly  above  the  brawling 
torrents  of  the  Rhone.  This  fiery  opening  re 
sembled  a  window  admitting  of  fearful  glimpses 
into  the  dreadful  preparations  that  were  ma 
king  up  among  the  higher  peaks  of  the  Alps.  A 
flash  of  red  quivering  light  was  emitted,  and 
a  distant,  rumbling  rush,  that  was  not  thunder 
but  rather  resembled  the  wheelings  of  a  thousand 
squadrons  into  line,  followed  the  flash.  The 
forecastle  was  deserted  to  a  man,  and  the  hillock 
of  freight  was  again  daikly  seen  peopled  with 
crouching  human  forms.  Just  then  the  bark 


106  THE    HEADSMAN. 

which  had  so  long  lain  in  a  state  of  complete  rest 
slowly  and  heavily  raised  its  bows,  as  if  laboring 
under  its  great  and  unusual  burthen,  while  a  slug 
gish  swell  passed  beneath  its  entire  length,  lifting 
the  whole  mass,  foot  by  foot,  and  passing  away  by 
the  stern,  to  cast  itself  on  the  shores  of  Vaud. 

"  'Tis  madness  to  waste  the  precious  moments 
longer !"  said  Maso  hurriedly,  on  whom  this  plain 
and  intelligent  hint  was  not  lost.  "  Signori,  we 
must  be  bold  and  prompt,  or  \ve  shall  be  overta 
ken  by  the  tempest  unprepared.  I  speak  not  for 
myself,  since,  by  the  aid  of  this  faithful  dog,  and 
favored  by  my  own  arms,  I  have  always  the  shore 
for  a  hope.  But  there  is  one  in  the  bark  I  would 
wish  to  save,  even  at  some  hazard  to  myself.  Bap- 
tiste  is  unnerved  by  fear,  and  we  must  act  for  our 
selves  or  perish !" 

"What  wouldest  thou?"  demanded  the  Signor 
Grimaldi ;  "  he  that  can  proclaim  the  danger 
should  have  some  expedient  to  divert  it  ?" 

"  Mo  o  timely  exertion  would  have  given  us  the 
resource  of  ordinary  means ;  but,  like  those  who 
die  in  their  sins,  we  have  foolishly  wasted  most 
precious  minutes.  We  must  lighten  the  bark, 
though  it  cost  the  \vhole  of  her  freight." 

A  cry  from  Nicklaus  Wagner  announced  that 
the  spirit  of  avarice  was  still  active  as  ever  in  his 
bosom.  Even  Baptiste,  who  had  lost  all  his  dog 
matism  and  his  disposition  to  command,  under  the 
imposing  omens  which  had  now  made  themselves 
apparent  even  to  him,  loudly  joined  in  the  protest 
against  this  waste  of  property.  It  is  rare  that  any 
sudden  and  extreme  proposal,  like  this  of  Maso's, 
meets  with  a  quick  echo  in  the  judgments  of  those 
to  whom  the  necessity  is  unexpectedly  presented. 
The  danger  did  not  seem  sufficiently  imminent  to 
have  recourse  to  an  expedient  so  decided;  and, 
though  startled  and  aroused,  the  untamed  spirits 


THE    HEADSMAN.  10  / 

oi  those  who  crowded  the  menaced  pile  were 
rather  in  a  state  of  uneasiness,  than  of  that  fierce 
excitement  to  which  they  were  so  capable  of  be 
ing  wrought,  and  which  was  in  some  degree  ne 
cessary  to  induce  even  them,  thriftless  and  desti 
tute  as  they  were,  to  be  the  agents  of  effecting  so 
great  a  destruction  of  property.  The  project  ol 
the  cool  and  calculating  Maso  would  therefore 
have  failed  entirely,  but  for  another  wheeling  of 
those  airy  squadrons,  and  a  second  wave  which 
lifted  the  groaning  bark  until  the  loosened  yards 
swung  creaking  above  their  heads.  The  canvass 
flapped,  too,  in  the  darkness,  like  some  huge  bird 
of  prey  fluttering  its  feathers  previously  to  taking 
wing. 

"  Holy  and  just  Ruler  of  the  land  and  the  sea !" 
exclaimed  the  Augustine,  "  remember  thy  repent 
ant  children,  and  have  us,  at  this  awful  moment, 
in  thy  omnipotent  protection  !" 

"  The  winds  are  come  down,  and  even  the  dumb 
lake  sends  us  the  signal  to  be  ready  !"  shouted 
Maso.  "  Overboard  with  the  freight,  if  ye  would 
live !" 

A  sudden  heavy  plunge  into  the  water,  proved 
that  the  mariner  was  in  earnest.  Notwithstanding 
the  imposing  and  awful  signs  with  which  they 
were  surrounded,  every  individual  of  the  nameless 
herd  bethought  him  of  the  pack  that  contained  his 
own  scanty  worldly  effects,  and  there  was  a  gen 
eral  and  quick  movement,  with  a  view  to  secure 
them.  As  each  man  succeeded  in  effecting  his 
own  object,  he  was  led  away  by  that  community 
of  feeling  which  rules  a  multitude.  The  common 
rush  was  believed  to  be  with  a  view  to  succor 
Maso,  though  each  man  secretly  knew  the  falsity 
of  the  impression  as  respected  his  own  particular 
case ;  and  box  after  box  began  to  tumble  into  the 
water,  as  new  and  eager  recruits  lent  themselves 


108  THE    HEADSMAN. 

fco  the  task.  The  impulse  was  quickly  imparteti 
from  one  to  another,  until  even  young  Sigismund 
was  active  in  the  work.  On  these  slight  accidents 
do  the  most  important  results  depend,  when  the 
hot  impulses  that  govern  the  mass  obtain  the  as 
cendant. 

It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  either  Baptiste,  or 
Nicklaus  Wagner,  witnessed  the  waste  of  their 
joint  effects  with  total  indifference.  So  far  from 
this,  each  used  every  exertion  in  his  power  to  pre 
vent  it,  not  only  by  his  voice,  but  with  his  hands. 
One  menaced  the  law — the  other  threatened  Maso 
with  condign  punishment  for  his  interference  with 
a  patron's  rights  and  duties ;  but  their  remon 
strances  were  uttered  to  inattentive  ears.  Maso 
knew  himself  to  be  irresponsible  by  situation,  for 
it  was  not  an  easy  matter  to  bring  him  within  the 
grasp  of  the  authorities ;  and  as  for  the  others, 
most  of  them  were  far  too  insignificant  to  feel 
much  apprehension  for  a  reparation  that  would  be 
most  likely,  if  it  fell  at  all,  to  fall  on  those  who 
were  more  able  to  bear  it.  Sigismund  alone  ex 
erted  himself  under  a  sense  of  his  liabilities ;  but 
he  worked  for  one  that  was  far  dearer  to  him  than 
gold,  and  little  did  he  bethink  him  of  any  other 
consequences  than  those  which  might  befall  the 
precious  life  of  Adelheid  de  Willading. 

The  meagre  packages  of  the  common  passen 
gers  had  been  thrown  in  a  place  of  safety,  with 
the  sort  of  unreflecting  instinct  with  which  we 
take  care  of  our  limbs  when  in  danger.  This 
timely  precaution  permitted  each  to  work  with  a 
zeal  that  found  no  drawback  in  personal  interest, 
and  the  effect  was  in  proportion.  A  hundred  hands 
were  busy,  and  nearly  as  many  throbbing  hearts 
lent  their  impulses  to  the  accomplishment  of  the 
one  important  object. 

Baptiste  and  his  people,  aided  by  laborers  of  tho 


THE    HEADSMAN.  109 

port,  had  passed  an  entire  day  in  heaping  that  pile 
on  the  deck  of  the  Winkelried,  which  was  now 
crumbling  to  pieces  with  a  rapidity  that  seemed 
allied  to  magic.  The  patron  and  Nicklaus  Wag 
ner  bawled  themselves  hoarse,  with  uttering  use 
less  threats  and  deprecations,  for  by  this  time  the 
laborers  in  the  work  of  destruction  had  received 
some  such  impetus  as  the  rolling  stone  acquires  by 
the  increased  momentum  of  its  descent.  Packages, 
boxes,  bales,  and  everything  that  came  to  hand, 
were  hurled  into  the  water  frantically,  and  with 
out  other  thought  than  of  the  necessity  of  light 
ening  the  groaning  bark  of  its  burthen.  The  agi 
tation  of  the  lake,  too,  was  regularly  increasing, 
wave  following  wave,  in  a  manner  to  cause  the 
vessel  to  pitch  heavily,  as  it  rose  upon  the  coming, 
or  sunk  with  the  receding  swell.  At  length,  a 
shout  announced  that,  in  one  portion  of  the  pile, 
the  deck  was  attained  ! 

The  work  now  proceeded  with  greater  security 
to  those  engaged,  for,  hitherto  the  motion  of  the 
bark,  and  the  unequal  footing,  frequently  rendered 
their  situations,  in  the  darkness  and  confusion,  to 
the  last  degree  hazardous.  Maso  now  abandoned 
his  own  active  agency  in  the  toil,  for  no  sooner 
did  he  see  the  others  fairly  and  zealously  enlisted 
in  the  undertaking,  than  he  ceased  his  personal  ef 
forts  to  give  those  directions  which,  coming  from 
one  accustomed  to  the  occupation,  were  far  more 
valuable  than  any  service  that  could  be  derived 
from  a  single  arm. 

'  Thou  art  known  to  me,  Signor  Maso/'  said  Bap- 
tiste,  hoarse  with  his  impotent  efforts  to  restrain 
the  torrent,  "  and  thou  shalt  answer  for  this,  as 
well  as  for  other  of  thy  crimes,  so  soon  as  we 
reach  the  hiven  of  Vevey !" 

"  Dotard !  thou  would'st  carry  thyself  and  all 
with  thee,  by  thy  narrowness  of  spirit,  to  a  port 
K 


110  THE    HEADSMAN. 

from  which,  when  it  is  once  entered,  none  erer 
sail  again." 

"  It  lieth  between  ye  both,"  rejoined  Nicklaus 
Wagner ;  "  thou  art  not  less  to  blame  than  these 
madmen,  Baptiste.  Hadst  thou  left  the  town  at 
the  hour  named  in  our  conditions,  this  danger  could 
not  have  overtaken  us." 

"  Am  I  a  god  to  command  the  winds !  I  would 
that  I  had  never  seen  thee  or  thy  cheeses,  or  that 
thou  wouldst  relieve  me  of  thy  presence,  and  go 
after  them  into  the  lake." 

"  This  comes  of  sleeping  on  duty ;  nay,  I  know 
not  but  that  a  proper  use  of  the  oars  would  still 
bring  us  in,  in  safety,  and  without  necessary  harm 
to  the  property  of  any.  Noble  Baron  de  Willa- 
ding,  here  may  be  occasion  for  your  testimony, 
and,  as  a  citizen  of  Berne,  I  pray  you  to  heed  well 
the  circumstances." 

Baptiste  was  not  in  a  humor  to  bear  these  mer 
ited  reproaches,  and  he  rejoined  upon  the  aggrieved 
Nicklaus  in  a  manner  that  would  speedily  have 
brought  their  ill-timed  wrangle  to  an  issue,  had  not 
Maso  passed  rudely  between  them,  shoving  them 
asunder  with  the  sinews  of  a  giant.  This  repulse 
served  to  keep  the  peace  for  the  moment,  but  the 
wordy  war  continued  with  so  much  acrimony,  and 
with  so  many  unmeasured  terms,  that  Adelheid 
and  her  maids,  pale  and  terror-struck  by  the  sur 
rounding  scene  as  they  were,  gladly  shut  their 
ears,  to  exclude  epithets  of  such  bitterness  and 
menace  that  they  curdled  the  blood.  Maso  passed 
on  among  the  workmen,  when  he  had  interposed 
between  the  disputants.  He  gave  his  orders  with 
perfect  self-possession,  though  his  understanding 
eye  perceived  that,  instead  of  magnifying  the  dan 
ger,  he  had  himself  not  fully  anticipated  its  extent. 
The  rolling  of  the  waves  was  now  incessant,  and 
the  quick,  washing  rush  of  the  water,  a  sound  fa- 


THE    HEADSMAN.  Ill 

miliar  to  the  seaman,  announced  that  they  had  be 
come  so  large  that  their  summits  broke,  sending 
their  lighter  foam  ahead.  There  were  symptoms, 
too,  which  proved  that  their  situation  was  under 
stood  by  those  on  the  land.  Lights  were  flashing 
along  the  strand  near  Vevey,  and  it  was  not  diffi 
cult  to  detect,  even  at  the  distance  at  which  they 
lay,  the  evidences  of  a  strong  feeling  among  the 
people  of  the  town. 

"  I  doubt  not  that  we  have  been  seen,"  said 
Melchior  de  Willading,  "  and  that  our  friends  are 
»usy  in  devising  means  to  aid  us.  Roger  de  Blonay 
:"s  not  a  man  to  see  us  perish  without  an  effort,  nor 
would  the  worthy  bailiff,  Peter  Hofmeister,  be  idle, 
snowing  that  a  brother  of  the  biirgerschaft,  and 
an  old  school  associate,  hath  need  of  his  assist 
ance." 

"None  can  come  to  us,  without  running  an 
?qual  risk  with  ourselves,"  answered  the  Genoese. 
*  It  were  better  that  we  should  be  left  to  our  own 
exertions.  I  like  the  coolness  of  this  unknown 
mariner,  and  I  put  my  faith  in  God !" 

A  new  shout  proclaimed  that  the  deck  had  been 
gained,  on  the  other  side  of  the  bark.  Much  the 
greater  part  of  the  deck-load  had  now  irretrieva 
bly  disappeared,  and  the  movements  of  the  relieved 
vessel  were  more  lively  and  sane.  Maso  called  to 
him  one  or  two  of  the  regular  crew,  and  together 
they  rolled  up  the  canvass,  in  a  manner  peculiar 
to  the  latine  rig ;  for  a  breath  of  hot  air,  the  first 
of  any  sort  that  had  been  felt  for  many  hours 
passed  athwart  the  bark.  This  duty  was  perform 
ed,  as  canvass  is  known  to  be  furled  at  need,  but 
it  was  done  securely.  Maso  then  went  among  the 
laborers  again,  encouraging  ther^  with  his  voice, 
and  directing  their  efforts  with  his  counsel. 

"  Thou  art  not  equal  to  thy  task,"  he  said,  ad- 
diessing  one  who  was  vainly  endeavoring  to  roll 


112  THE    HEADSMAN. 

a  bale  to  the  side  of  the  vessel,  a  little  apart  from 
the  rest  of  the  busy  crowd ;  "  thou  wilt  do  better 
to  assist  the  others,  than  to  waste  thy  force  here." 

"  I  feel  the  strength  to  remove  a  mountain !  Do 
we  not  work  for  our  lives  ?" 

The  mariner  bent  forward,  and  looked  into  the 
other's  face.  These  frantic  and  ill-directed  efforts 
came  from  the  Westphalian  student. 

"  Thy  star  has  disappeared,"  he  rejoined,  smi 
ling — for  Maso  had  smiled  in  scenes  far  more 
imposing,  than  even  that  with  which  he  was  now 
surrounded. 

"  She  gazes  at  it  still ;  she  thinks  of  one  that 
loves  her,  who  is  journeying  far  from  the  father 
land." 

"  Hold  !  Since  thou  wilt  have  it  so,  I  will  help 
thee  to  cast  this  bale  into  the  water.  Place  thine 
arm  thus ;  an  ounce  of  well-directed  force  is  worth 
a  pound  that  acts  against  itself." 

Stooping  together,  their  united  strength  did  that 
which  had  baffled  the  single  efforts  of  the  scholar. 
The  package  rolled  to  the  gangway,  and  the  Ger 
man,  frenzied  with  excitement,  shouted  aloud !  The 
Dark  lurched,  and  the  bale  went  over  the  side,  as 
if  the  lifeless  mass  were  suddenly  possessed  with 
the  desire  to  perform  the  evolution  which  its  inert 
weight  had  so  long  resisted.  Maso  recovered  his 
footing,  which  had  been  deranged  by  the  unex 
pected  movement,  with  a  seaman's  dexterity,  but 
his  companion  was  no  longer  at  his  side.  Kneeling 
on  the  gangway,  he  perceived  the  dark  bale  disap 
pearing  in  the  element,  with  the  feet  of  the  West 
phalian  dragging  after.  He  bent  forward  to  grasp 
the  rising  body,  but  it  never  returned  to  the  sur 
face,  being  entangled  in  the  cords,  or,  what  was 
equally  probable,  retained  by  the  frantic  grasp  of 
the  student,  whose  mind  had  yielded  to  the  awfu] 
character  of  the  night. 


THE    HEADSMAN.  113 

The  life  of  II  Maledetto  had  been  one  of  great 
vicissitudes  and  peril.  He  had  often  seen  men  pass 
suddenly  into  the  other  state  of  existence,  and  had 
been  calm  himself  amid  the  cries,  the  groans,  and, 
what  is  far  more  appalling,  the  execrations  of  the 
dying,  but  never  before  had  he  witnessed  so  briei 
and  silent  an  end.  For  more  than  a  minute,  he 
hung  suspended  over  the  dark  and  working  water, 
expecting  to  see  the  student  return;  and,  when 
hope  was  reluctantly  abandoned,  he  arose  to  his 
feet,  a  startled  and  admonished  man.  Still  dis 
cretion  did  not  desert  him.  He  saw  the  useless- 
ness,  and  even  the  danger,  of  distracting  the  atten 
tion  of  the  workmen,  and  the  ill-fated  scholar  was 
permitted  to  pass  away  without  a  word  of  regret 
or  a  comment  on  his  fate.  None  knew  of  his  loss 
but  the  wary  mariner,  nor  was  his  person  missed 
by  any  of  those  who  had  spent  the  day  in  his  com 
pany.  But  she  to  whom  he  had  plighted  his  faith 
on  the  banks  of  the  Elbe  long  gazed  at  that  pale 
star,  and  wept  in  bitterness  that  her  feminine  con 
stancy  met  with  no  return.  Her  true  affections 
long  outlived  their  object,  for  his  image  was  deep 
ly  enshrined  in  a  warm  female  heart.  Days, 
weeks,  months,  and  years  passed  for  her  in  the 
wasting  cheerlessness  of  hope  deferred,  but  the 
dark  Leman  never  gave  up  its  secret,  and  he  to 
whom  her  lover's  fate  alone  was  known  little  be 
thought  him  of  an  accident  which,  if  not  forgotten, 
was  but  one  of  many  similar  frightful  incidents  in 
his  eventful  career. 

Maso  re-appeared  among  the  crowd,  with  the 
forced  composure  of  one  who  well  knew  that  au 
thority  was  most  efficient  when  most  calm.  The 
command  of  the  vessel  was  now  virtually  with 
him,  Baptiste,  enervated  by  the  extraordinary  cri 
sis,  and  choking  with  passion,  being  utterly  inca 
pable  of  giving  a  distinct  or  a  useful  order.  It  was 
K2 


114  THE    HEADSMAN. 

fortunate  for  those  in  the  bark  that  the  substitute 
was  so  good,  for  more  fearful  signs  never  impend 
ed  over  the  Leman  than  those  which  darkened  the 
hour. 

We  have  necessarily  consumed  much  time  in 
relating  these  events,  the  pen  not  equalling  the  ac 
tivity  of  the  thoughts.  Twenty  minutes,  however, 
had  not  passed  since  the  tranquillity  of  the  lake 
was  first  disturbed,  and  so  great  had  been  the  ex 
ertions  of  those  in  the  Winkelried,  that  the  time 
appeared  to  be  shorter.  But,  though  it  had  been 
so  well  employed,  neither  had  the  powers  of  the 
air  been  idle.  The  unnatural  opening  in  the  hea 
vens  was  shut,  and,  at  short  intervals,  those  fear 
ful  wheelings  of  the  aerial  squadrons  were  draw 
ing  nearer.  Thrice  had  fitful  breathings  of  warm 
air  passed  over  the  bark,  and  occasionally,  as  she 
plunged  into  a  sea  that  was  heavier  than  common, 
the  faces  of  those  on  board  were  cooled,  as  it 
might  be  with  some  huge  fan.  These  were  no 
more,  however,  than  sudden  changes  in  the  atmos 
phere,  of  which  veins  were  displaced  by  the  dis 
tant  struggle  between  the  heated  air  of  the  lake 
and  that  which  had  been  chilled  on  the  glaciers, 
or,  they  were  the  still  more  simple  result  of  the 
violent  agitation  of  the  vessel. 

The  deep  darkness  which  shut  in  the  vault,  giv 
ing  to  the  embedded  Leman  the  appearance  of  a 
gloomy,  liquid  glen,  contributed  to  the  awful  sub 
limity  of  the  night.  The  ramparts  of  Savoy  were 
barely  distinguishable  from  the  flying  clouds,  hav 
ing  the  appearance  of  black  walls,  seemingly  with 
in  reach  of  the  hand;  while  the  more  varied  and 
softer  cotes  of  Vaud  lay  an  indefinable  and  som 
bre  mass,  less  menacing,  it  is  true,  but  equally 
confused  and  unattainable. 

Still  the  beacon  blazed  in  the  grate  of  old  Rogei 
de  Blonay,  and  flaring  torches  glided  along  the 


THE   HEADSMAN.  115 

strand.  The  shore  seemed  alive  with  human  be 
ings,  able  as  themselves  to  appreciate  and  to  feel 
for  their  situation. 

The  deck  was  now  cleared,  and  the  travellers 
were  collected  in  a  group  between  the  masts 
Pippo  had  lost  all  his  pleasantry  under  the  dread 
signs  of  the  hour,  and  Conrad,  trembling  with  su 
perstition  and  terror,  was  free  from  hypocrisy. 
They,  and  those  with  them,  discoursed  on  their 
chances,  on  the  nature  of  the  risks  they  ran,  and 
on  its  probable  causes. 

"I  see  no  image  of  Maria,  nor  even  a  piti 
ful  lamp  to  any  of  the  blessed,  in  this  accursed 
bark  !"  said  the  juggler,  after  several  had  hazard 
ed  their  quaint  and  peculiar  opinions.  "  Let  the 
patron  come  forth,  and  answer  for  his  negli 
gence." 

The  passengers  were  about  equally  divided  be 
tween  those  who  dissented  from  and  those  who 
worshipped  with  Rome.  This  proposal,  therefore, 
met  with  a  mixed  reception.  The  latter  protested 
against  the  neglect,  while  the  former,  equally  un 
der  the  influence  of  abject  fear,  were  loud  in  de 
claring  that  the  idolatry  itself  might  cost  them  all 
their  lives. 

"  The  curse  of  heaven  alight  on  the  evil  tongue 
that  first  uttered  the  thought !"  muttered  the  trem 
bling  Pippo  between  his  teeth,  too  prudent  to  fly 
openly  in  the  face  of  so  strong  an  opposition,  and 
yet  too  credulous  not  to  feel  the  omission  in  every 
nerve — "  Hast  nothing  by  thee,  pious  Conrad,  that 
may  avail  a  Christian  ?' 

The  pilgrim  reached  forth  his  hand  with  a  rosa 
ry  and  cross.  The  sacred  emblem  passed  from 
mouth  to  mouth,  among  the  believers,  with  a  zeal 
little  short  of  that  they  had  manifested  in  unload 
ing  the  deck.  Encouraged  by  this  sacrifice,  they 
called  loudly  upon  Baptiste  to  present  himself 


116  THE    HEADSMAN. 

Confronted  with  these  unnurtured  spirits,  the  pa* 
tron  shook  in  every  limb,  for,  between  anger  ana 
abject  fear,  his  self-command  had  by  this  time  ab 
solutely  deserted  him.  To  the  repeated  appeals  to 
procure  a  light,  that  it  might  be  placed  before  a 
picture  of  the  mother  of  God  which  Conrad  pro 
duced,  he  objected  his  Protestant  faith,  the  im 
possibility  of  maintaining  the  flame  while  the  bark 
pitched  so  violently,  and  the  divided  opinions  of 
the  passengers.  The  Catholics  bethought  them  of 
the  country  and  influence  of  Maso,  and  they  loud 
ly  called  upon  him,  for  the  love  of  God !  to  come 
and  enforce  their  requests.  But  the  mariner  was 
occupied  on  the  forecastle,  lowering  one  anchor 
after  another  into  the  water,  passively  assisted  by 
the  people  of  the  bark,  who  wondered  at  a  precau 
tion  so  useless,  since  no  rope  could  reach  the  bot 
tom,  even  while  they  did  not  dare  deny  his  orders. 
Something  was  now  said  of  the  curse  that  had 
alighted  on  the  vessel,  in  consequence  of  its  pa 
tron's  intention  to  embark  the  headsman.  Bap- 
tiste  trembled  to  the  skin  of  his  crown,  and  his 
blood  crept  with  a  superstitious  awe. 

"  Dost  think  there  can  really  be  aught  in  this  !" 
he  asked,  with  parched  lips  and  a  faltering 
tongue. 

All  distinction  of  faith  was  lost  in  the  general 
ridicule.  Now  the  Westphalian  was  gone,  there 
was  not  a  man  among  them  to  doubt  that  a  navi 
gation,  so  accompanied,  would  be  cursed.  Bap- 
tiste  stammered,  muttered  many  incoherent  sen 
tences,  and  finally,  in  his  impotency,  he  permitted 
the  dangerous  secret  to  escape  him. 

The  intelligence  that  Balthazar  was  among  them 
produced  a  solemn  and  deep  silence.  The  fact, 
however,  furnished  as  conclusive  evidence  of  the 
cause  of  their  peril  to  the  minds  of  these  untutored 
oeings,  as  a  mathematician  could  have  received 


THE    HEADSMAN.  117 

from  the  happiest  of  his  demonstrations.  New 
light  broke  in  upon  them,  and  the  ominous  stillness 
was  followed  by  a  general  demand  for  the  patron 
to  point  out  the  man.  Obeying  this  order,  partly 
under  the  influence  of  a  terror  that  was  allied  to 
his  moral  weakness,  and  partly  in  bodily  fear,  he 
shoved  the  headsman  forward,  substituting  the  per-  f 
son  of  the  proscribed  man  for  his  own,  and,  profit 
ing  by  the  occasion,  he  stole  out  of  the  crowd. 

When  the  Herr  Miiller,  or  as  he  was  now 
known  and  called,  Balthazar,  was  rudely  pushed 
into  the  hands  of  these  ferocious  agents  of  super 
stition,  the  apparent  magnitude  of  the  discovery 
induced  a  general  and  breathless  pause.  Like  the 
treacherous  calm  that  had  so  long  reigned  upon 
the  lake,  it  was  a  precursor  of  a  fearful  and  vio 
lent  explosion.  Little  was  said,  for  the  occasion 
was  too  ominous  for  a  display  of  vulgar  feeling,  but 
Conrad,  Pippo,  and  one  or  two  more,  silently  rais 
ed  the  fancied  offender  in  their  arms,  and  bore 
him  desperately  towards  the  side  of  the  bark. 

"Call  on  Maria,  for  the  good  of  thy  soul!" 
whispered  the  Neapolitan,  with  a  strange  mixture 
of  Christian  zeal,  in  the  midst  of  all  his  ferocity. 

The  sound  of  words  like  these  usually  conveys 
the  idea  of  charity  and  love,  but,  notwithstanding 
this  gleam  of  hope,  Balthazar  still  found  himself 
borne  towards  his  fate. 

On  quitting  the  throng  that  clustered  together  in 
a  dense  body  between  the  masts,  Baptiste  encoun 
tered  his  old  antagonist,  Nicklaus  Wagner.  The 
fury  which  had  so  long  been  pent  in  his  breast  sud 
denly  found  vent,  and,  in  the  madness  of  the  mo 
ment,  he  struck  him.  The  stout  Bernese  grappled 
his  assailant,  and  the  struggle  became  fierce  as 
that  of  brutes.  Scandalized  by  such  a  spectacle, 
offended  by  the  disrespect,  and  ignorant  of  what 
else  was  passing  near — for  the  crowd  had  uttered 


118  THE   HEADSMAN. 

its  resolutions  in  the  suppressed  voices  of  men  de 
termined — the  Baron  de  Willading  and  the  Signor 
Grimaldi  advanced  with  dignity  and  firmness  to 
prevent  the  shameful  strife.  At  this  critical  mo 
ment  the  voice  of  Balthazar  was  heard  above  the 
roar  of  the  coming  wind,  not  calling  on  Maria,  as 
he  had  been  admonished,  but  appealing  to  the  two 
old  nobles  to  save  him.  Sigismund  sprang  for 
ward  like  a  lion,  at  the  cry,  but  too  late  to  reach 
those  who  were  about  to  cast  the  headsman  from 
the  gangway,  he  was  just  in  time  to  catch  the  body, 
by  its  garments,  when  actually  sailing  in  the  air. 
By  a  vast  effort  of  strength  its  direction  was  di 
verted.  Instead  of  alighting  in  the  water,  Baltha 
zar  encountered  the  angry  combatants,  who,  driv 
en  back  on  the  two  nobles,  forced  the  whole  four 
over  the  side  of  the  bark  into  the  water. 

The  struggle  between  the  two  bodies  of  air 
ceased,  that  on  the  surface  of  the  lake  yielding 
to  the  avalanche  from  above,  and  the  tempest  came 
howling  upon  the  bark. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


now  the  glee 
Of  the  loud  hills  shakes  with  their  mountain-mirth. 

BYRON. 

It  is  necessary  to  recapitulate  a  little,  in  order 
to  connect  events.  The  signs  of  the  hour  had 
been  gradually  but  progressively  increasing.  While 
the  lake  was  unruffled,  a  stillness  so  profound  pre 
vailed,  that  sounds  from  the  distant  port,  such  as 
the  heavy  fall  of  an  oar,  or  a  laugh  from  the  wa 
terman,  had  reached  the  ears  of  those  in  the  Win 


THE    HEADSMAN  119 

kelried,  bringing  with  them  the  feeling  of  security, 
and  the  strong  charm  of  a  calm  at  even.  To 
these  succeeded  the  gathering  in  the  heavens,  and 
the  roaring  of  the  winds,  as  they  came  rushing 
down  the  sides  of  the  Alps,  in  their  first  descent 
into  the  basin  of  the  Leman.  As  the  sight  grew 
useless,  except  as  it  might  study  the  dark  omens 
of  the  impending  vault,  the  sense  of  hearing  be 
came  doubly  acute,  and  it  had  been  a  powerful 
agent  in  heightening  the  vague  but  acute  appre 
hensions  of  the  travellers.  The  rushes  of  the 
wind,  which  at  first  were  broken,  at  intervals  re 
sembling  the  roar  of  a  chimney-top  in  a  gale,  had 
soon  reached  the  fearful  grandeur  of  those  aerial 
wheelings  of  squadrons,  to  which  we  have  more 
than  once  alluded,  passing  off  in  dread  mutterings, 
that,  in  the  deep  quiet  of  all  other  things,  bore  a 
close  affinity  to  the  rumbling  of  a  surf  upon  the 
sea-shore.  The  surface  of  the  lake  was  first  bro 
ken  after  one  of  these  symptoms,  and  it  was  this 
infallible  sign  of  a  gale  which  had  assured  Maso 
there  was  no  time  to  lose.  This  movement  of  the 
element  in  a  calm  is  a  common  phenomenon  on 
waters  that  are  much  environed  with  elevated  and 
irregular  head-lands,  and  it  is  a  certain  proof  that 
wind  is  on  some  distant  portion  of  the  sheet.  It 
occurs  frequently  on  the  ocean,  too,  where  the 
mariner  is  accustomed  to  find  a  heavy  sea  setting 
in  one  direction,  the  effects  of  some  distant  storm, 
while  the  breeze  around  him  is  blowing  in  its  op 
posite.  It  had  been  succeeded  by  the  single  roll 
ing  swell,  like  the  outer  circle  of  waves  produced 
by  dropping  a  stone  into  the  water,  and  the  regu 
lar  and  increasing  agitation  of  the  lake,  until  the 
element  broke  as  in  a  tempest,  and  that  seemingly 
of  its  own  volition,  since  not  a  breath  of  air  was 
stirring.  This  last  and  formidable  symptom  of 
the  force  of  the  coming  gust,  however,  had  now 


120  THE   HEADSMAW. 

become  so  unequivocal,  that,  at  the  moment  when 
the  three  travellers  and  the  patron  fell  from  her 
gangway,  the  Winkelried,  to  use  a  seaman's 
phrase,  was  literally  wallowing  in  the  troughs  of 
the  seas. 

A  dull  unnatural  light  preceded  the  winds,  and 
notwithstanding  the  previous  darkness,  the  nature 
of  the  accident  was  fully  apparent  to  all.  Even 
the  untamed  spirits  that  had  just  been  bent  upon 
so  fierce  a  sacrifice  to  their  superstitious  dread, 
uttered  cries  of  horror,  while  the  piercing  shriek 
of  Adelheid  sounded,  in  that  fearful  moment,  as 
if  beings  of  super-human  attributes  were  riding  in 
the  gale.  The  name  of  Sigismund  was  heard, 
too,  in  one  of  those  wild  appeals  that  the  frantic 
suffer  to  escape  them,  in  their  despair.  But  the 
interval  between  the  plunge  into  the  water  and  the 
swoop  of  the  tempest  was  so  short,  that,  to  the 
senses  of  the  travellers,  the  whole  seemed  the  oc 
currence  of  the  same  teeming  moment. 

Maso  had  completed  his  work  on  the  forecastle, 
had  seen  that  other  provisions  which  he  had  or 
dered  were  duly  made,  and  had  reached  the  tiller, 
just  in  time  to  witness  and  to  understand  all  that 
occurred.  Adelheid  and  her  female  attendants 
were  already  lashed  to  the  principal  masts,  and 
ropes  were  given  to  the  others  around  her,  as  in 
dispensable  precautions ;  for  the  deck  of  the  bark, 
now  cleared  of  every  particle  of  its  freight,  was 
as  exposed  and  as  defenceless  against  the  power 
of  the  wind,  as  a  naked  heath.  Such  was  the  sit 
uation  of  the  Winkelried,  when  the  omens  of  the 
night  changed  to  their  dread  reality. 

Instinct,  in  cases  of  sudden  and  unusual  danger 
must  do  the  office  of  reason.  There  was  no  ne 
cessity  to  warn  the  unthinking  but  panic-struck 
crowd  to  provide  for  their  own  safety,  for  every 
man  in  the  centre  of  the  barge  threw  his  body  fla 


THE    HEADSMAN.  121 

on  the  deck,  and  grasped  the  cords  that  Maso  had 
taken  care  to  provide  for  that  purpose,  with  the 
tenacity  with  which  all  who  possess  life  cling  to 
the  means  of  existence.  The  dogs  gave  beautiful 
proofs  of  the  secret  and  wonderful  means  that  na 
ture  has  imparted,  to  answer  the  ends  of  their 
creation.  Old  Uberto  crouched,  cowering,  and 
oppressed  with  a  sense  of  helplessness,  at  the  side 
of  his  master,  while  the  Newfoundland  follower  of 
the  mariner  went  leaping  from  gangway  to  gang 
way,  snuffing  the  heated  air,  and  barking  wildly, 
as  if  he  would  challenge  the  elements  to  close  for 
the  strife. 

A  vast  body  of  warm  air  had  passed  unheeded 
athwart  the  bark,  during  the  minute  that  preceded 
the  intended  sacrifice  of  Balthazar.  It  was  the 
forerunner  of  the  hurricane,  which  had  chased  it 
from  the  bed  where  it  had  been  sleeping,  since  the 
warm  and  happy  noon-tide.  Ten  thousand  char 
iots  at  their  speed  could  not  have  equalled  the 
rumbling  that  succeeded,  when  the  winds  came 
booming  over  the  lake.  As  if  too  eager  to  permit 
anything  within  their  fangs  to  escape,  they  brought 
with  them  a  wild,  dull  light,  which  filled  while  it 
clouded  the  atmosphere,  and  which,  it  was  scarce 
ly  fanciful  to  imagine,  had  been  hurried  down,  in 
their  vortex,  from  those  chill  glaciers,  where  they 
had  so  long  been  condensing  their  forces  for  the 
present  descent.  The  waves  were  not  increased, 
but  depressed  by  the  pressure  of  this  atmospheric 
column,  though  it  took  up  hogshead,  of  water  from 
their  crests,  scattering  it  in  fine  penetrating  spray, 
till  the  entire  space  between  the  heavens  and  the 
earth  seemed  saturated  with  its  particles. 

The  Winkelried  received  the  shock  at  a  moment 
when  the  lee-side  of  her  broad  deck  was  wallow 
ing  in  the  trough,  and  its  weather  was  protruded 
on  the  summit  of  a   swell.     The  wind  howled 
L 


122  THE   HEADSMAN. 

when  it  struck  the  pent  limits,  as  if  angered  at  being 
thwarted,  and  there  was  a  roar  under  the  wide 
gangways,  resembling  that  of  lions.  The  reeling 
vessel  was  raised  in  a  manner  to  cause  those  or. 
board  to  believe  it  about  to  be  lifted  bodily  from 
the  water,  but  the  ceaseless  rolling  of  the  element 
restored  the  balance.  Maso  afterwards  affirmed 
that  nothing  but  this  accidental  position,  which 
formed  a  sort  of  lee,  prevented  all  in  the  bark  from 
being  swept  from  the  deck,  before  the  first  gust  of 
the  hurricane.  • 

Sigismund  had  heard  the  heart-rending  appeal 
of  Adelheid,  and,  notwithstanding  the  awful  strife 
of  the  elements  and  the  fearful  character  of  the 
night,  he  alone  breasted  the  shock  on  his  feet. 
Though  aided  by  a  rope,  and  bowed  like  a  reed, 
his  herculean  frame  trembled  under  the  shock,  in  a 
way  to  render  even  his  ability  to  resist  seriously 
doubtful.  But,  the  first  blast  expended,  he  sprang 
to  the  gangway,  and  leaped  into  the  cauldron  o; 
the  lake  unhesitatingly,  arid  yet  in  the  possession 
of  all  his  faculties.  He  was  desperately  bent  or. 
saving  a  life  so  dear  to  Adelheid,  or  on  dying  in 
the  attempt. 

Maso  had  watched  the  crisis  with  a  seaman's 
eye,  a  seaman's  resources,  and  a  seaman's  cool 
ness.  He  had  not  refused  to  quit  his  feet,  but 
kneeling  on  one  knee,  he  pressed  the  tiller  down, 
lashed  it,  and  clinging  to  the  massive  timber,  faced 
the  tempest  with  the  steadiness  of  a  water-god. 
There  was  sublimity  in  the  intelligence,  delibera 
tion,  and  calculating  skill,  with  which  this  solitary, 
unknown,  and  nearly  hopeless,  mariner  obeyed  his 
professional  instinct,  in  that  fearful  concussion  oi 
the  elements,  which,  loosened  from  every  restraint, 
now  appeared  abandoned  to  their  own  wild  ana 
fierce  will.  He  threw  aside  his  cap,  pushed  for 
ward  his  thick  but  streaming  locks,  as  veils  to  pro- 


THE   HEADSMAN.  123 

tect  his  eyes,  and  watched  the  first  encounter  of 
the  wind,  as  the  wary  but  sullen  lion  keeps  his  gaze 
on  the  hostile  elephant.  A  grim  smile  stole  across 
his  features,  when  he  felt  the  vessel  settle  again 
into  its  watery  bed,  after  that  breathless  moment 
in  which  there  had  been  reason  to  fear  it  might 
actually  be  lifted  from  its  proper  element.  Then 
the  precaution,  which  had  seemed  so  useless  and 
incomprehensible  to  others,  came  in  play.  The 
bark  made  a  fearful  whirl  from  the  spot  where  it 
had  so  long  lain,  yielding  to  the  touch  of  the  gust 
like  a  vane  turning  on  its  pivot,  while  the  water 
gurgled  several  streaks  on  deck.  But  the  cables 
were  no  sooner  taut  than  the  numerous  anchors 
resisted,  and  brought  the  bark  head  to  wind.  Maso 
felt  the  yielding  of  the  vessel's  stern,  as  she  swung 
furiously  round,  and  he  cheered  aloud.  The 
trembling  of  the  timbers,  the  dashing  against  the 
pointed  beak,  and  that  high  jet  of  water,  which  shot 
up  over  the  bows  and  fell  heavily  on  the  forecas 
tle,  washing  aft  in  a  flood,  were  so  many  eviden 
ces  that  the  cables  were  true.  Advancing  from 
his  post,  with  some  such  dignity  as  a  master  of 
fence  displays  in  the  exercise  of  his  art,  he  shout 
ed  for  his  dog. 

"  Nettuno ! — Nettuno  ! — where  art  thou,  brave 
Nettuno  ?" 

The  faithful  animal  was  whining  near  him,  un 
heard  in  that  war  of  the  elements.  He  waited  only 
for  this  encouragement  to  act.  No  sooner  was 
his  master's  voice  heard,  than,  barking  bravely,  he 
snuffed  the  gale,  dashed  to  the  side  of  the  vessel, 
and  leaped  into  the  boiling  lake. 

When  Melchior  de  Willading  and  his  friend  re 
turned  to  the  surface,  after  their  plunge,  it  was 
like  men  making  their  appearance  in  a  world  aban 
doned  to  the  infernal  humors  of  the  fiends  of  dark 
ness.  The  reader  will  understand  it  was  at  the 


124  THE    HEADSMAN". 

instant  of  the  swoop  of  the  winds,  that  has  just 
been  detailed,  for  what  we  have  taken  so  many 
pages  to  describe  in  words,  scarce  needed  a  min 
ute  of  time  in  the  accomplishment. 

Maso  knelt  on  the  verge  of  the  gangway,  sus- 
* aining  himself  by  passing  an  arm  around  a  shroud, 
and,  bending  forward,  he  gazed  into  the  cauldron 
of  the  lake  with  aching  eyes.  Once  or  twice,  he 
thought  he  heard  the  stifled  breathing  of  one  who 
struggled  with  the  raging  water ;  but,  in  that  roai 
of  the  winds,  it  was  easy  to  be  deceived.  He 
shouted  encouragement  to  his  dog,  however,  and 
gathering  a  small  rope  rapidly,  he  made  a  heaving 
coil  of  one  of  its  ends.  This  he  cast  far  from  him, 
with  a  peculiar  swing  and  dexterity,  hauling-in, 
and  repeating  the  experiments,  steadily  and  with 
unwearied  industry.  The  rope  was  necessarily 
thrown  at  hazard,  for  the  misty  light  prevented 
more  than  it  aided  vision ;  and  the  howling  of  the 
powers  of  the  air  filled  his  ears  with  sounds  that 
resembled  the  laugh  of  devils. 

In  the  cultivation  of  the  youthful  manly  exer 
cises,  neither  of  the  old  nobles  had  neglected  the 
useful  skill  of  being  able  to  buffet  with  the  waves. 
But  both  possessed  what  was  far  better,  in  such 
a  strait,  than  the  knowledge  of  a  swimmer,  in  that 
self-command  and  coolness  in  emergencies  which 
they  are  apt  to  acquire,  who  pass  their  time  in  en 
countering  the  hazards  and  in  overcoming  the 
difficulties  of  war.  Each  retained  a  sufficiency 
of  recollection,  therefore,  on  coming  to  the  surface, 
to  understand  his  situation,  and  not  to  increase  the 
danger  by  the  ill-directed  and  frantic  efforts  that 
usually  drown  the  frightened.  The  case  was  suf 
ficiently  desperate,  at  the  best,  without  the  addi 
tional  risk  of  distraction,  for  the  bark  had  already 
drifted  to  some  unseen  spot,  that,  as  respects  them, 
was  quite  unattainable.  In  this  uncertainty,  it 


THE    HEADSMAN.  125 

would  have  been  madness  to  steer  amid  the  waste 
of  waters,  as  likely  to  go  wrong  as  right,  and  they 
limited  their  efforts  to  mutual  support  and  en 
couragement,  placing  their  trust  in  God. 

Not  so  with  Sigismund.  To  him  the  roaring 
tempest  was  mute,  the  boiling  and  hissing  lake  had 
no  horrors,  and  he  had  plunged  into  the  fathomless 
Leman  as  recklessly  as  he  could  have  leaped  to 
land.  The  shriek,  the  "Sigismund!  oh,  Sigis 
mund  !"  of  Adelheid,  was  in  his  ears,  and  her  cry 
of  anguish  thrilled  on  every  nerve.  The  athletic 
young  Swiss  was  a  practised  and  expert  swimmer, 
or  it  is  improbable  that  even  these  strong  impulses 
could  have  overcome  the  instinct  of  self-preser 
vation.  In  a  tranquil  basin,  it  would  have  been 
no  extraordinary  or  unusual  feat  for  him  to  con 
quer  the  distance  between  the  Winkelried  and  the 
shores  of  Vaud ;  but,  like  all  the  others,  on  casting 
himself  into  the  water,  he  was  obliged  to  shape 
his  course  at  random,  and  this,  too,  amid  such  a 
driving  spray  as  rendered  even  respiration  difficult. 
As  has  been  said,  the  waves  were  compressed  into 
their  bed  rather  than  augmented  by  the  wind ;  but, 
had  it  been  otherwise,  the  mere  heaving  and  set 
tling  of  the  element,  while  it  obstructs  his  speed, 
offers  a  support  rather  than  an  obstacle  to  the 
practised  swimmer. 

Notwithstanding  all  these  advantages,  the 
strength  of  his  impulses,  and  the  numberless  oc 
casions  on  which  he  had  breasted  the  surges  of  the 
Mediterranean,  Sigismund,  on  recovering  from  his 
plunge,  felt  the  fearful  chances  of  the  risk  he  ran, 
as  the  stern  soldier  meets  the  hazards  of  battle,  in 
Which  he  knows  if  there  is  victory  there  is  also 
death.  He  dashed  the  troubled  water  aside,  though 
he  swam  blindly,  and  each  stroke  urged  him  farther 
from  the  bark,  his  only  hope  of  safety.  He  was 
Between  dark  rolling  mounds,  and,  on  rising  to 
L2 


126  THE    HEADSMAN. 

their  summits,  a  hurricane  of  mist  made  him  glad 
to  sink  again  within  a  similar  shelter.  The  break 
ing  crests  of  the  waves,  which  were  glancing  off 
in  foam,  also  gave  him  great  annoyance,  for  such 
was  their  force,  that,  more  than  once,  he  was  hurl 
ed  helpless  as  a  log  before  them.  Still  he  swam 
boldly,  and  with  strength;  nature  having  gifted 
him  with  more  than  the  usual  physical  energy  of 
man.  But,  uncertain  in  his  course,  unable  to  see 
the  length  of  his  own  body,  and  pressed  hard  upon 
by  the  wind,  even  the  spirit  of  Sigismund  Stein- 
bach  could  not  long  withstand  so  many  adverse 
circumstances.  He  had  already  turned,  wavering 
in  purpose,  thinking  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  bark 
in  the  direction  he  had  come,  when  a  dark  mass 
floated  immediately  before  his  eyes,  and  he  felt 
the  cold  clammy  nose  of  the  dog,  scenting  about 
his  face.  The  admirable  instinct,  or  we  might 
better  say,  the  excellent  training  of  Nettuno,  told 
him  that  his  services  were  not  needed  here,  and, 
barking  with  wild  delight,  as  if  in  mockery  of  the 
infernal  din  of  the  tempest,  he  sheered  aside,  and 
swam  swiftly  on.  A  thought  flashed  like  lightning 
on  the  brain  of  Sigismund.  His  best  hope  was  in 
the  inexplicable  faculties  of  this  animal.  Throwing 
forward  an  arm,  he  seized  the  bushy  tail  of  the 
dog,  and  suffered  himself  to  be  dragged  ahead,  he 
knew  not  whither,  though  he  seconded  the  move 
ment  with  his  own  exertions.  Another  bark  pro 
claimed  that  the  experiment  was  successful,  and 
voices,  rising  as  it  were  from  the  water,  close  at 
hand,  announced  the  proximity  of  human  beings. 
The  brunt  of  the  hurricane  was  past,  and  the 
wasning  of  the  waves,  which  had  been  stilled  by 
the  roar  and  the  revelry  of  the  winds,  again  be 
came  audible. 

The  strength  of  the  two  struggling  old  men  was 
sinking  fast.      The  Signor  Grimaldi  had,  thus  far 


THE    HEADSMAN.  127 

generously  sustained  his  friend,  who  was  less  ex 
pert  than  himself  in  the  water,  and  he  continued 
to  cheer  him  with  a  hope  he  did  not  feel  himself, 
nobly  refusing  to  the  last  to  separate  their  fortunes. 

"  How  dost  find  thyself,  old  Melchior  ?"  he  ask 
ed.  "  Cheer  thee,  friend — I  think  there  is  suc 
cor  at  hand." 

The  water  gurgled  at  the  mouth  of  the  baron, 
who  was  near  the  gasp. 

"  'Tis  late — bless  thee,  dearest  Gaetano — God 
be  with  my  child — my  Adelheid — poor  Adelheid !" 

The  utterance  of  this  precious  name,  under  a 
father's  agony  of  spirit,  most  probably  saved  his 
life.  The  sinewy  arm  of  Sigismund,  directed  by 
the  words,  grasped  his  dress,  and  he  felt  at  once 
that  a  new  and  preserving  power  had  interposed 
between  him  and  the  caverns  of  the  lake.  It  was 
time,  for  the  water  had  covered  the  face  of  the 
failing  baron,  ere  the  muscular  arm  of  the  youth 
came  to  perform  its  charitable  office. 

"Yield  thee  to  the  dog,  Signore,"  said  Sigis 
mund,  clearing  his  mouth  of  water  to  speak  calm 
ly,  once  assured  of  his  own  burthen ;  "  trust  to  his 
sagacity,  and, — God  keep  us  in  mind! — all  may 
yet  be  well !" 

The  Signor  Grimaldi  retained  sufficient  presence 
of  mind  to  follow  this  advice,  and  it  was  probably 
quite  as  fortunate  that  his  friend  had  so  far  lost  his 
consciousness,  as  to  become  an  unresisting  burthen 
in  the  hands  of  Sigismund. 

"  Nettuno ! — gallant  Nettuno !" — swept  past  them 
on  the  gale  for  the  first  time,  the  partial  hushing  of 
the  winds  permitting  the  clear  call  of  Maso  to  reach 
so  far.  The  sound  directed  the  efforts  of  Sigis 
mund,  though  the  dog  had  swum  steadily  away 
the  moment  he  had  the  Genoese  in  his  gripe,  and 
with  a  certainty  of  manner  that  showed  he  was  at 
no  loss  for  a  direction. 


128  THE    HEADSMAN. 

But  Sigismund  had  taxed  his  powers  too  fas, 
He,  who  could  have  buffeted  an  ordinary  sea  for 
hours,  was  now  completely  exhausted  by  the  un 
wonted  exertions,  the  deadening  influence  of  the 
tempest,  and  the  log-like  weight  of  his  burthen 
He  would  not  desert  the  father  of  Adelheid,  and 
yet  each  fainting  and  useless  stroke  told  him  to 
despair.  The  dog  had  already  disappeared  in  the 
darkness,  and  he  was  even  uncertain  again  of  the 
true  position  of  the  bark.  He  prayed  in  agony  for 
a  single  glimpse  of  the  rocking  masts  and  yards, 
or  to  catch  one  syllable  of  the  cheering  voice  of 
Maso.  But  in  both  his  wishes  were  vain.  In  place 
of  the  former,  he  had  naught  but  the  veiled  misty 
light,  that  had  come  on  with  the  hurricane ;  and, 
instead  of  the  latter,  his  ears  were  filled  with  the 
washing  of  the  waves  and  the  roars  of  the  gusts. 
The  blasts  now  descended  to  the  surface  of  the 
lake,  and  now  went  whirling  and  swelling  upward, 
in  a  way  to  lead  the  listener  to  fancy  that  the 
viewless  winds  might,  for  once,  be  seen.  For  a 
single  painful  instant,  in  one  of  those  dishearten 
ing  moments  of  despair  that  will  come  over  the 
stoutest,  his  hand  was  about  to  relinquish  its  hold 
of  the  baron,  and  to  make  the  last  natural  struggle 
for  life ;  but  that  fair  and  modest  picture  of  maiden 
loveliness  and  truth,  which  had  so  long  haunted  his 
waking  hours  and  adorned  his  night-dreams,  inter 
posed  to  prevent  the  act.  After  this  brief  and 
fleeting  weakness,  the  young  man  seemed  endowed 
with  new  energy.  He  swam  stronger,  and  with 
greater  apparent  advantage,  than  before. 

"  Nettuno — gallant  Nettuno !" — again  drove ovei 
him,  bringing  with  it  the  chilling  certainty,  that, 
turned  from  his  course  by  the  rolling  of  the  water, 
he  had  thrown  away  these  desperate  efforts,  by 
taking  a  direction  which  led  him  from  the  bark. 
While  there  was  the  smallest  appearance  of  success* 


THE   HEADSMAN.  129 

no  difficulties,  of  whatever  magnitude,  could  entire 
ly  extinguish  hope ;  but  when  the  dire  conviction 
ihat  he  had  been  actually  aiding,  instead  of  dimin 
ishing,  the  danger,  pressed  upon  Sigismund,  he 
abandoned  his  efforts.  The  most  he  endeavored 
or  hoped  to  achieve,  was  to  keep  his  own  head  and 
that  of  his  companion  above  the  fatal  element, 
while  he  answered  the  cry  of  Maso  with  a  shout 
of  despair. 

"  Nettuno ! — gallant  Nettuno !" — again  flew  past 
on  the  gale. 

This  cry  might  have  been  an  answer,  or  it  might 
merely  be  the  Italian  encouraging  his  dog  to  bear 
on  the  body,  with  which  it  was  already  loaded. 
Sigismund  uttered  a  shout,  which  he  felt  must  be 
the  last.  He  struggled  desperately,  but  in  vain : 
the  world  and  its  allurements  were  vanishing  from 
his  thoughts,  when  a  dark  line  whirled  over  him, 
and  fell  thrashing  upon  the  very  wave  which  cov 
ered  his  face.  An  instinctive  grasp  caught  it,  and 
the  young  soldier  felt  himself  impelled  ahead.  He 
had  seized  the  rope  which  the  mariner  had  not  ceas 
ed  to  throw,  as  the  fisherman  casts  his  line,  and  he 
was  at  the  side  of  the  bark,  before  his  confused 
faculties  enabled  him  to  understand  the  means 
employed  for  his  rescue. 

Maso  took  a  hasty  turn  with  the  rope,  and,  stoop 
ing  forward,  favored  by  a  roll  of  the  vessel,  he 
drew  the  Baron  de  Willading  upon  deck.  Watch 
ing  his  time,  he  repeated  the  experiment,  always  with 
admirable  coolness  and  dexterity,  placing  Sigis 
mund  also  in  safety.  The  former  was  immediate 
ly  dragged  senseless  to  the  centre  of  the  bark, 
where  he  received  those  attentions  that  had  just 
been  eagerly  offered  to  the  Signior  Grimaldi,  and 
with  the  same  happy  results.  But  Sigismund 
motioned  all  away  from  himself,  knowing  that 
their  cares  were  needed  elsewhere.  He  staggered 


130  THE    HEADSMAN. 

forward  a  few  paces,  and  then,  yielding  to  a  com 
plete  exhaustion  of  his  power,  he  fell  at  full  length 
on  the  wet  planks.     He  long  lay  panting,  speech 
less,  and  unable  to  move,  with  a  sense  of  death  on 
his  frame. 

"  Nettuno !  gallant,  gallant  Nettuno  !" — shouted 
the  indefatigable  Maso,  still  at  his  post  on  the  gang 
way,  whence  he  cast  his  rope  with  unchanging 
perseverance.  The  fitful  winds,  which  had  already 
played  so  many  fierce  antics  that  eventful  night, 
sensibly  lulled,  and,  giving  one  or  two  sighs,  as  if 
regretting  that  they  were  about  to  be  curbed  again 
by  that  almighty  Master,  from  whose  benevolent 
hands  they  had  so  furtively  escaped,  as  suddenly 
ceased  blowing.  The  yards  creaked,  swinging 
loosely  above  the  crowded  deck,  and  the  dull  wash 
ing  of  water  filled  the  ear.  To  these  diminished 
sounds  were  to  be  added  the  barking  of  the  dog, 
who  was  still  abroad  in  the  darkness,  and  a  strug 
gling  noise  like  the  broken  and  smothered  attempts 
of  human  voices.  Although  the  time  appeared  an 
age  to  all  who  awaited  the  result,  scarcely  five 
minutes  had  elapsed  since  the  accident  occurred 
and  the  hurricane  had  reached  them.  There  was 
still  hope,  therefore,  for  those  who  yet  remained 
in  the  water.  Maso  felt  the  eagerness  of  one  who 
had  already  been  successful  beyond  his  hopes,  and, 
in  his  desire  to  catch  some  guiding  signal,  he  leaned 
forward,  till  the  rolling  lake  washed  into  his  face. 

"  Ha !  gallant — gallant  Nettuno  !" 

Men  certainly  spoke,  and  that  near  him.  But 
the  sounds  resembled  words  uttered  beneath  a 
cover.  The  wind  whistled,  too,  though  but  for  a 
moment,  and  then  it  seemed  to  sail  upward  into 
the  dark  vault  of  the  heavens.  Nettuno  barked 
audibly,  and  his  master  answered  with  another 
shout,  for  the  sympathy  of  man  in  his  kind  is 
inextinguishable. 


THE    HEADSMAN.  131 

"  My  brave,  my  noble  Nettuno !" 

The  stillness  was  now  imposing,  and  Maso 
fieard  the  dog  growl.  This  ill-omened  signal 
was  undeniably  followed  by  smothered  voices. 
The  latter  became  clearer,  as  if  the  mocking  winds 
were  willing  that  a  sad  exhibition  of  human  frailty 
hould  be  known,  or,  what  is  more  probable,  vio 
lent  passion  had  awakened  stronger  powers  o. 
speech.  This  much  the  mariner  understood. 

"  Loosen  thy  grasp,  accursed  Baptiste  !" 

"  Wretch,  loosen  thine  own  !" 

"  Is  God  naught  with  thee  ?" 

"  Why  dost  throttle  so,  infernal  Nicklaus  ?" 

"  Thou  wilt  die  damned !" 

"  Thou  chokest — villain — pardon  ! — pardon !" 

He  heard  no  more.  The  merciful  elements  in  • 
terposed  to  drown  the  appalling  strife.  Once  or 
twice  the  dog  howled,  but  the  tempest  came  across 
the  Leman  again  in  its  might,  as  if  the  short  pause 
had  been  made  merely  to  take  breath.  The  winds 
took  a  new  direction ;  and  the  bark,  still  held  by 
its  anchors,  swung  wide  off  from  its  former  posi 
tion,  tending  in  towards  the  mountains  of  Savoy. 
During  the  first  burst  of  this  new  blast,  even  Maso 
was  glad  to  crouch  to  the  deck,  for  millions  of  in 
finitely  fine  particles  were  lifted  from  the  lake,  and 
driven  on  with  the  atmosphere  with  a  violence  to 
take  away  his  breath.  The  danger  of  being  swept 
before  the  furious  tide  of  the  driving  element  was 
also  an  accident  not  impossible.  When  the  lull 
returned,  no  exertion  of  his  faculties  could  catch  a 
single  sound  foreign  to  the  proper  character  of 
the  scene,  such  as  the  plash  of  the  water,  and  the 
creaking  of  the  long,  swinging  yards. 

The  mariner  now  felt  a  deep  concern  for  his 
dog  He  called  to  him  until  he  grew  hoarse,  but 
fruitlessly.  The  change  of  position,  with  the  con 
stant  and  varying  drift  of  the  vessel,  had  can  ied 


132  THE    HEADSMAN. 

them  beyond  the  reach  of  the  human  voice.  More 
time  was  expended  in  summoning  "  Nettuno !  gal 
lant  Nettuno  !"  than  had  been  consumed  in  the  pas 
sage  of  all  the  events  which  it  has  been  necessary 
to  our  object  to  relate  so  minutely,  and  always 
with  the  same  want  of  success.  The  mind  of  Maso 
was  pitched  to  a  degree  far  above  the  opinions  and 
habits  of  those  with  whom  his  life  brought  him  or 
dinarily  in  contact,  but  as  even  fine  gold  will  be 
come  tarnished  by  exposure  to  impure  air,  he  had 
not  entirely  escaped  the  habitual  weaknesses  of  the 
Italians  of  his  class.  When  he  found  that  no  cry 
could  recall  his  faithful  companion,  he  threw  him 
self  upon  the  deck  in  a  paroxysm  of  passion,  tore 
his  hair,  and  wept  audibly. 

"  Nettuno  !  my  brave,  my  faithful  Nettuno  \"  he 
said.  "  What  are  all  these  to  me,  without  thee ! 
Thou  alone  lovedst  me — thou  alone  hast  passed 
with  me  through  fair  and  foul — through  good  and 
evil,  without  change,  or  wish  for  another  master ! 
When  the  pretended  friend  has  been  false,  thou  hast 
remained  faithful !  When  others  were  sycophants 
thou  wert  never  a  flatterer !" 

Struck  with  this  singular  exhibition  of  sorrow, 
the  good  Augustine,  who,  until  now,  like  all  the 
others,  had  been  looking  to  his  own  safety,  or  em 
ployed  in  restoring  the  exhausted,  took  advantage 
of  the  favorable  change  in  the  weather,  and  ad 
vanced  with  the  language  of  consolation. 

"  Thou  hast  saved  all  our  lives,  bold  mariner," 
he  said ;  "  and  there  are  those  in  the  bark  who 
will  know  how  to  reward  thy  courage  and  skill, 
Forget,  then,  thy  dog,  and  indulge  in  a  grateful 
heart  to  Maria  and  the  saints,  that  they  have  been 
our  friends  and  thine  in  this  exceeding  jeopardy." 

"Father,  I  have  eaten  with  the  animal — slept 
with  the  animal — fought,  swum,  and  made  merry 
with  him,  and  I  could  now  drown  with  him !  What 


THE    HEADSMAN.  133 

are  thy  nobles  and  their  gold  to  me,  without  my 
dog?  The  gallant  brute  will  die  the  death  of  de 
spair,  swimming  about  in  search  of  the  bark  in  the 
midst  of  the  darkness,  until  even  one  of  his  high 
breed  and  courage  must  suffer  his  heart  to  burst/* 

"Christians  have  been  called  into  the  dread 
Dresence,  unconfessed  and  unshrived,  to-night;  and 
we  should  bethink  us  of  their  souls,  rather  than  in- 
Julge  in  this  grief  in  behalf  of  one  that,  however 
/aithful,  ends  but  an  unreasoning  and  irresponsible 
existence." 

All  this  was  thrown  away  upon  Maso,  who  cross 
ed  himself  habitually  at  the  allusion  to  the  drowned, 
but  who  did  not  the  less  bewail  the  loss  of  his  dog, 
whom  he  seemed  to  love,  like  the  affection  that 
David  bore  for  Jonathan,  with  a  love  surpassing 
that  of  women.  Perceiving  that  his  counsel  was 
useless,  the  good  Augustine  turned  away,  to  knee 
and  offer  up  his  own  orisons  of  gratitude,  and  tc 
bethink  him  of  the  dead. 

"  Nettuno  !  povera,  carissima  bestia  /"  continued 
Maso,  "  whither  art  thou  swimming,  in  this  infernal 
quarrel  between  the  air  and  water  ?  Would  I  were 
with  thee,  dog !  No  mortal  shall  ever  share  the  love 
I  bore  thee,  povero  Nettuno  I — I  will  never  take 
another  to  my  heart,  like  thee!" 

The  outbreaking  of  Maso's  grief  was  sudden, 
and  it  was  brief  in  its  duration.  In  this  respect 
it  might  be  likened  to  the  hurricane  that  had  just 
passed.  Excessive  violence,  in  both  cases,  ap 
peared  lo  bring  its  own  remedy,  for  the  irregular 
fitful  gusts  from  the  mountains  had  already  ceased, 
and  were  succeeded  by  a  strong  but  steady  gale 
from  the  north ;  and  the  sorrow  of  Maso  soon 
ended  its  characteristic  plaints,  to  take  a  more 
continued  and  even  character. 

During  the  whole  of  the  foregoing  scenes,  the 
common  oassengers  had  crouched  to  the  deck, 
M 


134  THE    HEADSMAN. 

partly  in  stupor,  partly  in  superstitious  dread,  and 
much  of  the  time,  from  a  positive  inability  to  move 
without  incurring  the  risk  of  being  driven  from 
the  defenceless  vessel  into  the  lake.  But,  as  the 
wind  diminished  in  force,  and  the  motion  of  the 
bark  became  more  regular,  they  rallied  their 
senses,  like  men  who  had  been  in  a  trance,  and 
one  by  one  they  rose  to  their  feet.  About  this  time 
Adelheid  heard  the  sound  of  her  father's  voice, 
blessing  her  care,  and  consoling  her  sorrow.  The 
north  wind  blew  away  the  canopy  of  clouds,  and 
the  stars  shone  upon  the  angry  Leman,  bringin^ 
with  them  some  such  promise  of  divine  aid  as  the 
pillar  of  fire  afforded  to  the  Israelites  in  their  pas 
sage  of  the  Red  Sea.  Such  an  evidence  of  return 
ing  peace  brought  renewed  confidence.  All  in  the 
bark,  passengers  as  well  as  crew,  took  courage  at 
the  benignant  signs,  while  Adelheid  wept,  in  grati 
tude  and  joy,  over  the  gray  hairs  of  her  father 

Maso  had  now  obtained  complete  command  o 
the  Winkelried,  as  much  by  the  necessity  of  the 
case,  as  by  the  unrivalled  skill  and  courage  he  had 
manifested  during  the  fearful  minutes  of  their  ex 
treme  jeopardy.  No  sooner  did  he  succeed  in  stay 
ing  his  own  grief,  than  he  called  the  people  about 
him,  and  issued  his  orders  for  the  new  measures 
that  had  become  necessary. 

All  who  have  ever  been  subject  to  their  influ 
ence  know  that  there  is  nothing  more  uncertain 
than  the  winds.  Their  fickleness  has  passed  into 
a  proverb  >  but  their  inconstancy,  as  well  as  their 
power,  from  the  fanning  air  to  the  destructive  tor 
nado,  are  to  be  traced  to  causes  that  are  suffi 
ciently  clear,  though  hid  in  their  nature  from  the 
calculations  of  our  forethought.  The  tempest  of 
the  night  was  owing  to  the  simple  fact,  that  a  con 
densed  and  chilled  column  of  the  mountains  had 
pressed  upon  the  heated  substratum  of  the  lake, 


THE    HEADSMAN.  135 

and  the  latter,  after  a  long  resistance,  suddenly 
finding  vent  for  its  escape,  had  been  obliged  to  let 
in  the  cataract  from  above.  As  in  all  extraordi 
nary  efforts,  whether  physical  or  moral,  reaction 
would  seem  to  be  a  consequence  of  excessive  ac 
tion,  the  currents  of  air,  pushed  beyond  their  proper 
limits,  were  now  setting  back  again,  like  a  tide  on 
its  reflux.  This  cause  produced  the  northern  gale 
that  succeeded  the  hurricane. 

The  wind  that  came  from  off  the- shores  of  Vaud 
was  steady  and  fresh.  The  barks  of  the  Leman 
are  not  constructed  for  beating  to  windward,  and 
it  might  even  have  been  questioned,  whether  the 
Winkelried  would  have  borne  her  canvass  against 
so  heavy  a  breeze.  Maso,  however,  appeared  to 
understand  himself  thoroughly,  and  as  he  had  ac 
quired  the  influence  which  hardihood  and  skill  are 
sure  to  obtain  over  doubt  and  timidity  in  situations 
of  hazard,  he  was  obeyed  by  all  on  board  with 
submission,  if  not  with  zeal.  No  more  was  heard 
of  the  headsman  or  of  his  supposed  agency  in  the 
storm ;  and,  as  he  prudently  kept  himself  in  the 
back-ground,  so  as  not  to  endanger  a  revival  of 
the  superstition  of  his  enemies,  he  seemed  entirely 
forgotten. 

The  business  of  getting  the  anchors  occupied  a 
considerable  time,  for  Maso  refused,  now  there 
existed  no  necessity  for  the  sacrifice,  to  permit  a 
yarn  to  be  cut ;  but,  released  from  this  hold  on  the 
water,  the  bark  whirled  away,  and  was  soon  dri 
ving  before  the  wind.  The  mariner  was  at  the 
helm,  and,  causing  the  head-sail  to  be  loosened,  he 
steered  directly  for  the  rocks  of  Savoy.  This 
manoeuvre  excited  disagreeable  suspicions  in  the 
minds  of  several  on  board,  for  the  lawless  charac 
ter  of  their  pilot  had  been  more  than  suspected  in 
the  course  of  their  short  acquaintance,  and  the 
coast  towards  which  they  were  furiously  rushing 


136  THE   HEADSMAN. 

was  known  to  be  iron-bound,  and,  in  such  a  gale 
fatal  to  all  who  came  rudely  upon  its  rocks.  Half- 
an-hour  removed  their  apprehensions.  When  neai 
enough  to  the  mountains  to  feel  their  deadening 
influence  on  the  gale,  the  natural  effect  of  the  ed 
dies,  formed  by  their  resistance  to  the  currents,  he 
lufled-to  and  set  his  main-sail.  Relieved  by  this 
wise  precaution,  the  Winkelried  now  wore  her 
canvass  gallantly,  and  she  dashed  along  the  shore 
of  Savoy  with  a  foaming  beak,  shooting  past  ra 
vine,  valley,  glen,  and  hamlet,  as  if  sailing  in  air. 

In  less  than  an  hour,  St.  Gingoulph,  or  the  vil 
lage  through  which  the  dividing  line  between  the 
territories  of  Switzerland  and  those  of  the  King 
of  Sardinia  passes,  was  abeam,  and  the  excellent 
calculations  of  the  sagacious  Maso  became  still 
more  apparent.  He  had  foreseen  another  shift  of 
wind,  as  the  consequence  of  all  this  poise  and  coun 
terpoise,  and  he  was  here  met  by  the  true  breeze 
of  the  night.  The  last  current  came  out  of  the 
gorge  of  the  Valais,  sullen,  strong,  and  hoarse, 
bringing  him,  however,  fairly  to  windward  of  his 
port.  The  Winkelried  was  cast  in  season,  and, 
when  the  gale  struck  her  anew,  her  canvass  drew 
fairly,  and  she  walked  out  from  beneath  the  moun 
tains  into  the  broad  lake,  like  a  swan  obeying  its 
instinct. 

The  passage  across  the  width  of  the  Leman,  in 
that  horn  of  the  crescent  and  in  such  a  breeze,  re 
quired  rather  more  than  an  hour.  This  time  was 
occupied  among  the  common  herd  in  self-felicita 
tions,  and  in  those  vain  boastings  that  distinguish 
the  vulgar  who  have  escaped  an  imminent  danger 
without  any  particular  merit  of  their  own.  Among 
those  whose  spirits  were  better  trained  and  more 
rebuked,  there  were  attentions  to  the  sufferers  and 
deep  thanksgivings  with  the  touching  intercourse 
of  the  grateful  and  happy.  The  late  scenes,  ana 


THE    HEADSMAlf.  137 

'.he  fearful  fate  of  the  patron  and  Nicholaus  Wag 
ner,  cast  a  shade  upon  their  joy,  but  all  inwardly 
felt  that  they  nad  been  snatched  from  the  jaws  of 
death. 

Maso  shaped  his  course  by  the  beacon  that  stih 
blazed  in  the  grate  of  old  Roger  de  Blonay.  With 
his  eye  riveted  on  the  luff  of  his  sail,  his  hip  bear 
ing  hard  against  the  tiller,  and  a  heart  that  relieved 
itself,  from  time  to  time,  with  bitter  sighs,  he  ruled 
the  bark  like  a  presiding  spirit. 

At  length  the  black  mass  of  the  cotes  of  Vaud 
took  more  distinct  and  regular  forms.  Here  and 
there,  a  tower  or  a  tree  betrayed  its  outlines 
against  the  sky,  and  then  the  objects  on  the  mar 
gin  of  the  lake  began  to  stand  out  in  gloomy  relief 
from  the  land.  Lights  flared  along  the  strand,  and 
cries  reached  them  from  the  shore.  A  dark  shape 
less  pile  stood  directly  atwhart  their  watery  path, 
and,  at  the  next  moment,  it  took  the  aspect  of  a 
ruined  castle-like  edifice.  The  canvass  flapped 
and  was  handed,  the  Winkelried  rose  and  set  more 
slowly  and  with  a  gentler  movement,  and  glided 
into  the  little,  secure,  artificial  haven  of  La  Tour 
de  Peil.  A  forest  of  latine  yards  and  low  masts 
lay  before  them,  but,  by  giving  the  bark  a  rank 
sheer,  Maso  brought  her  to  her  berth,  by  the  side 
of  another  lake  craft,  with  a  gentleness  of  collision 
that,  as  the  mariners  have  it,  would  not  have  bro 
ken  an  egg. 

A  hundred  voices  greeted  the  travellers;  for 
their  approach  had  been  seen  and  watched  with 
intense  anxiety.  Fifty  eager  Vevaisans  poured 
upon  her  deck,  in  a  noisy  crowd,  the  instant  it 
was  possible.  Among  others,  a  dark  shaggy  ob 
ject  bounded  foremost.  It  leaped  wildly  forward, 
and  Maso  found  himself  in  the  embraces  of  Net- 
tuno.  A  little  later,  when  delight  and  a  more 
M2 


138  THE    HEADSMAN. 

tempered  feeling  permitted  examination,  a  lock  of 
human  hair  was  discovered  entangled  in  the  teeth 
of  the  dog,  and  the  following  week  the  bodies  of 
Baptiste  and  the  peasant  of  Berne  were  found 
still  clenched  in  the  desperate  death-gripe,  washed 
upon  the  shores  of  Vaud. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  moon  is  up ;  by  Heaven  a  lovely  eve ! 
Long  streams  of  light  o'er  glancing  waves  expand ; 
Now  lads  on  shore  may  sigh  and  maids  believe : 
Such  be  our  fate  when  we  return  to  land ! 

BYRON. 

THE  approach  of  the  Winkelried  had  been  seen 
from  Vevey  throughout  the  afternoon  and  evening. 
The  arrival  of  the  Baron  de  Willading  and  his 
daughter  was  expected  by  many  in  the  town,  the 
rank  and  influence  of  the  former  in  the  great  can 
ton  rendering  him  an  object  of  interest  to  more 
than  those  who  felt  affection  for  his  person  and 
respect  for  his  upright  qualities.  Roger  de  Blonay 
had  not  been  his  only  youthful  friend,  for  the  place 
contained  another,  with  whom  he  was  intimate  by 
habit,  if  not  from  a  community  of  those  principles 
which  are  the  best  cement  of  friendships. 

The  officer  charged  with  the  especial  supervis 
ion  of  the  districts  or  circles,  into  which  Berno 
had  caused  its  dependent  territory  of  Vaud  to  be 
divided,  was  termed  a  baifli,  a  title  that  our  word 
bailiff  will  scarcely  render,  except  as  it  may  strictly 
mean  a  substitute  for  the  exercise  of  authority  that 
is  the  property  of  another,  but  which,  for  the  want 
of  a  better  term,  we  may  be  compelled  occasion 


THE    HEADSMAN.  139 

ally  to  use.  The  bailli,  or  bailiff,  of  Ve'vey  was 
Peter  Hofmeister,  a  member  of  one  of  those  fami 
lies  of  the  biirgerschaft,  or  the  municipal  aristoc 
racy  of  the  canton,  which  found  its  institutions 
venerable,  just,  and,  and  if  one  might  judge  from 
their  language,  almost  sacred,  simply  because  it 
had  been  in  possession  of  certain  exclusive  privi 
leges  under  their  authority,  that  were  not  only  com 
fortable  in  their  exercise  but  fecund  in  other  world 
ly  advantages.  This  Peter  Hofmeister  was,  in  the 
main,  a  hearty,  well-meaning,  and  somewhat  benev 
olent  person,  but,  living  as  he  did  under  the  secret 
consciousness  that  all  was  not  as  it  should  be,  he 
pushed  his  opinions  on  the  subject  of  vested  inter 
ests,  and  on  the  stability  of  temporal  matters,  a 
little  into  extremes,  pretty  much  on  the  same  prin 
ciple  as  that  on  which  the  engineer  expends  the 
largest  portion  of  his  art  in  fortifying  the  weakest 
point  of  the  citadel,  taking  care  that  there  shall  be 
a  constant  flight  of  shot,  great  and  small,  across 
the  most  accessible  of  its  approaches.  By  one  of 
the  exclusive  ordinances  of  those  times,  in  which 
men  were  glad  to  get  relief  from  the  violence  and 
rapacity  of  the  baron  and  the  satellite  of  the  prince, 
ordinances  that  it  was  the  fashion  of  the  day  to 
term  liberty,  the  family  of  Hofmeister  had  come 
into  the  exercise  of  a  certain  charge,  or  monopoly, 
that,  in  truth,  had  always  constituted  its  wealth 
an«J  importance,  but  of  which  it  was  accustomed 
to  speak  as  forming  its  principal  claim  to  the  grati 
tude  of  the  public,  for  duties  that  had  been  per 
formed  not  only  so  well,  but  for  so  long  a  period, 
by  an  unbroken  succession  of  patriots  descended 
from  the  same  stock.  They  who  judged  of  the 
value  attached  to  the  possession  of  this  charge,  by 
the  animation  with  which  all  attempts  to  relieve 
them  of  the  burthen  were  repelled,  must  have  been 
?n  error ;  for,  to  hear  their  friends  descant  on  the 


140  THE    HEADSMAN. 

difficulties  of  the  dirties,  of  the  utter  impossibility 
that  they  should  be  properly  discharged  by  any 
family  that  had  not  been  in  their  exercise  just  one 
hundred  and  seventy-two  years  and  a  half,  the  pre 
cise  period  of  the  hard  servitude  of  the  Hofmeis- 
ters,  and  the  rare  merit  of  their  self-devotion  to 
the  common  good,  it  would  seem  that  they  were 
so  many  modern  Curtii,  anxious  to  leap  into  the 
chasm  of  uncertain  and  endless  toil,  to  save  the 
Republic  from  the  ignorance  and  peculations  of 
certain  interested  and  selfish  knaves,  who  wished 
to  enjoy  the  same  high  trusts,  for  a  motive  so  un 
worthy  as  that  of  their  own  particular  advantage. 
This  subject  apart,  however,  and  with  a  strong 
reservation  in  favor  of  the  supremacy  of  Berne, 
on  whom  his  importance  depended,  a  better  or  a 
more  philanthropic  man  than  Peter  Hofmeister 
would  not  have  been  easily  found.  He  was  a  hear 
ty  laugher,  a  hard  drinker,  a  common  and  peculiai 
failing  of  the  age,  a  great  respecter  of  the  law,  as 
was  meet  in  one  so  situated,  and  a  bachelor  of 
sixty-eight,  a  time  of  life  that,  by  referring  his  edu 
cation  to  a  period  more  remote  by  half  a  century, 
than  that  in  which  the  incidents  of  our  legend  took 
place,  was  not  at  all  in  favor  of  any  very  romantic 
predilection  in  behalf  of  the  rest  of  the  human 
race.  In  short,  the  Herr  Hofmeister  was  a  bailiff, 
much  as  Balthazar  was  a  headsman,  on  account 
of  some  particular  merit  or  demerit,  (it  might  now 
be  difficult  to  say  which,)  of  one  of  his  ancestors, 
by  the  laws  of  the  canton,  and  by  the  opinions  of 
men.  The  only  material  difference  between  them 
was  in  the  fact,  that  the  one  greatly  enjoyed  his 
station,  while  the  other  had  but  an  indifferent  relisn 
for  his  trust. 

Wnen  Roger  de  Blonay,  by  the  aid  of  a  good 
glass,  had  assured  himself  that  the  bark  which  lay 
off  St.  Saphorin,  in  the  even  tide,  with  yards  a- 


THE    HEADSMAN.  141 

cock-bill,  and  sails  pendent  in  their  picturesque 
drapery,  contained  a  party  of  gentle  travellers 
who  occupied  the  stern,  and  saw  by  the  plumes 
and  robes  that  a  female  of  condition  was  among 
them,  he  gave  an  order  to  prepare  the  beacon-fire, 
and  descended  to  the  port,  in  order  to  be  in  readi 
ness  to  receive  his  friend.  Here  he  found  the  bai 
liff,  pacing  the  public  promenade,  which  is  washed 
by  the  limpid  water  of  the  lake,  with  the  air  of  a 
man  who  had  more  on  his  mind  than  the  daily 
cares  of  office.  Although  the  Baron  de  Blonay 
was  a  Vaudois,  and  looked  upon  all  the  function 
aries  of  his  country's  conquerors  with  a  species  of 
hereditary  dislike,  he  was  by  nature  a  man  of  mild 
and  courteous  qualities,  and  the  meeting  was,  as 
usual,  friendly  in  the  externals,  and  of  seeming 
cordiality.  Great  care  was  had  by  both  to  speak 
in  the  second  person ;  on  the  part  of  the  Vaudois, 
that  it  might  be  seen  he  valued  himself  as,  at  least, 
the  equal  of  the  representative  of  Berne,  and,  on 
that  of  the  bailiff,  in  order  to  show  that  his  office 
made  him  as  good  as  the  head  of  the  oldest  house 
in  all  that  region. 

"  Thou  expectest  to  see  friends  from  Genf  in 
yonder  bark?"  said  the  Herr  Hofmeister,  ab 
ruptly. 

"And  thou?" 

"A  friend,  and  one  more  than  a  friend;"  an 
swered  the  bailiff,  evasively.  "  My  advices  tell 
me  that  Melchior  de  Willading  will  sojourn  among 
us  during  the  festival  of  the  Abbaye,  and  secret 
notice  has  been  sent  that  there  will  be  another 
here,  who  wishes  to  see  our  merry-making,  with 
out  pretension  to  the  honors  that  he  might  fairly 
claim." 

"  It  is  not  rare  for  nobles  of  mark,  and  even 
princes,  to  visit  us  on  these  occasions,  under  feign 
ed  names  and  without  the  eclat  of  their  rank ;  for 


142  THE    HEADSMAN. 

the  great,  when  they  descend  to  follies,  seldom 
like  to  bring  their  high  condition  within  their  in 
fluence." 

"  The  wiser  they.  I  have  my  own  troubles  with 
these  accursed  fooleries,  for — it  may  be  a  weak 
ness,  but  it  is  one  that  is  official — I  cannot  help  ima 
gining  that  a  bailiff  cuts  but  a  shabby  figure  before 
the  people,  in  the  presence  of  so  many  gods  and 
goddesses.  To  own  to  thee  the  truth,  I  rejoice 
that  he  who  cometh,  cometh  as  he  doth. — Hast 
letters  of  late  date  from  Berne  ?" 

"  None ;  though  report  says  that  there  is  like  to 
be  a  change  among  some  of  those  who  fill  the  pub 
lic  trusts." 

"  So  much  the  worse !"  growled  the  bailiff.  "  Is 
it  to  be  expected  that  men  who  never  did  an  hour's 
duty  in  a  charge  can  acquit  themselves  like  those 
who  have,  it  might  be  said,  sucked  in  practice 
with  their  mother's  milk  ?" 

"Ay;  this  is  well  enough  for  thee;  but  others 
say  that  even  the  Erlachs  had  a  beginning." 

"  Himmel!  Am  I  a  heathen  to  deny  this?  As 
many  beginnings  as  thou  wilt,  good  Roger,  but  1 
like  not  thy  ends.  No  doubt  an  Erlach  is  mortal, 
like  all  of  us,  and  even  a  created  being ;  but  a  man 
is  not  a  charge.  Let  the  clay  die,  if  thou  wilt, 
but,  if  thou  would st  have  faithful  or  skilful  servants 
look  to  the  true  successor.  But  we  will  have 
none  of  this  to-day. — Hast  many  guests  at  Bio- 
nay  t" 

"  Not  one.  I  look  for  the  company  of  Melchior 
de  Willading  and  his  daughter — and  yet  I  like  not 
the  time  !  There  are  evil  signs  playing  about  the 
nign  peaks  and  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Dents, 
since  the  sun  has  set !" 

"  Thou  art  ever  in  a  storm  up  in  thy  castle 
there'  The  Leman  was  never  more  peaceable, 
and  T  should  take  it  truly  in  evil  part,  wero  the  re- 


THE   HEADSMAN.  143 

lellious  lake  to  get  into  one  of  its  fits  of  sudden 
anger  with  so  precious  a  freight  on  its  bosom." 

"  I  do  not  think  the  Genfer  See  will  regard  even 
a  bailiff's  displeasure !"  rejoined  the  Baron  de 
Blonay,  laughing.  "  I  repeat  it ;  the  signs  are 
suspicious.  Let  us  consult  the  watermen,  for  it 
may  be  well  to  send  a  light-pulling  boat  to  bring 
the  travellers  to  land." 

Roger  de  Blonay  and  the  bailiff  walked  towards 
the  little  earthen  mole,  that  partially  protects  the 
roadstead  of  Vevey,  and  which  is  for  ever  forming 
and  for  ever  washing  away  before  the  storms  of 
winter,  in  order  to  consult  some  of  those  who  were 
believed  to  be  expert  in  detecting  the  symptoms 
that  precede  any  important  changes  of  the  atmo 
sphere.  The  opinions  were  various.  Most  believed 
there  would  be  a  gust ;  but,  as  the  Winkelried  was 
known  to  be  a  new  and  well-built  bark,  and  none 
could  tell  how  much  beyond  her  powers  she  had 
been  loaded  by  the  cupidity  of  Baptiste,  and  as  it 
was  generally  thought  the  wind  would  be  as  likely 
to  bring  her  up  to  her  haven  as  to  be  against  her, 
there  appeared  no  sufficient  reason  for  sending  off 
the  boat ;  especially  as  it  was  believed  the  bark 
would  be  not  only  drier  but  safer  than  a  smaller 
craft,  should  they  be  overtaken  by  the  wind.  This 
indecision,  so  common  in  cases  of  uncertainty,  was 
the  means  of  exposing  Adelheid  and  her  father  to 
all  those  fearful  risks  they  had  just  run. 

When  the  night  came  on,  the  people  of  the  town 
began  to  understand  that  the  tempest  would  be 
grave  for  those  who  were  obliged  to  encounter  it, 
even  in  the  best  bark  on  the  Leman.      The  dark 
ness  added  to  the  danger,  for  vessels  had  often  ru 
against  the  land  by  miscalculating  their  distances ; 
and  the  lights  were  shown  along  the  strand,  by  or 
der  of  the  bailiff,  who  manifested  an  interest  so  un 
usual  in  those  on  board  the  Winkelried,  as  to  draw 


144  THE    HEADSMAN. 

about  them  more  than  the  sympathy  that  would 
ordinarily  be  felt  for  travellers  in  distress.  Every 
exertion  that  the  case  admitted  was  made  in  their 
behalf,  and,  the  moment  the  state  of  the  lake  al 
lowed,  boats  were  sent  off,  in  every  probable  di 
rection,  to  their  succor.  But  the  Winkelried  was 
running  along  the  coast  of  Savoy,  ere  any  ventur 
ed  forth,  and  the  search  proved  fruitless.  When 
the  rumor  spread,  however,  that  a  sail  was  to  be 
discerned  coming  out  from  under  the  wide  shadow 
of  the  opposite  mountains,  and  that  it  was  steering 
for  La  Tour  de  Peil,  a  village  with  a  far  safer  har 
bor  than  that  of  Vevey,  and  but  an  arrow's  flight 
from  the  latter  town,  crowds  rushed  to  the  spot. 
The  instant  it  was  known  that  the  missing  party 
was  in  her,  the  travellers  were  received  with 
cheers  of  delight  and  cries  of  hearty  greeting. 

The  bailiff  and  Roger  de  Blonay  hastened  for 
ward  to  receive  the  Baron  de  Willading  and  his 
friends,  who  were  carried  in  a  tumultuous  and  joy 
ful  manner  into  the  old  castle  that  adjoins  the  port, 
and  from  which,  in  truth,  the  latter  derives  its 
name.  The  Bernois  noble  was  too  much  affected 
with  the  scenes  through  which  he  had  so  lately 
passed,  and  with  the  strong  and  ungovernable  ten 
derness  of  Adelheid,  who  had  wept  over  him  as 
a  mother  sobs  over  her  recovered  child,  to  ex 
change  greetings  with  him  of  Vaud,  in  the  hearty, 
cordial  manner  that  ordinarily  characterized  their 
meetings.  Still  their  peculiar  habits  shone  through 
the  restraint. 

"  Thou  seest  me  just  rescued  from  the  fishes  of 
hy  Leman,  dear  de  Blonay,"  he  said,  squeezing 
he  other's  hand  with  emotion,  as,  leaning  on  his 
shoulder,  they  went  into  the  chateau.  "But  for 
yonder  brave  youth,  and  as  honest  a  mariner  as 
ever  floated  on  water,  fresh  or  salt,  all  that  is  left 
of  old  Melchior  de  Willading  would,  at  this  mo- 


THE   HEADSMAN.  145 

ment,  be  of  less  value  than  the  meanest  fera  in  thy 
take !" 

"  God  be  praised  that  thou  art  as  we  see  thee ! 
We  feared  for  thee,  and  boats  are  out  at  this  mo 
ment  in  search  of -thy  bark :  but  it  has  been  wiser 
ordered.  This  brave  young  man,  who,  I  see,  is 
both  a  Swiss  and  a  soldier,  is  doubly  welcome 
among  us, — in  the  two  characters  just  named,  and 
as  one  that  hath  done  thee  and  us  so  great  a  ser 
vice." 

Sigismund  received  the  compliments  which  he 
so  well  merited  with  modesty.  The  bailiff,  how 
ever,  not  content  with  making  the  usual  felicita 
tions,  whispered  in  his  ear  that  a  service  like  this, 
rendered  to  one  of  its  most  esteemed  nobles,  would 
not  be  forgotten  by  the  Councils  on  a  proper  oc 
casion. 

"  Thou  art  happily  arrived,  Herr  Melchior,"  he 
then  added,  aloud;  "come  as  thou  wilt,  floating 
or  sailing  in  air.  We  have  thee  among  us  none 
the  worse  for  the  accident,  and  we  thank  God,  as 
Roger  de  Blonay  has  just  so  well  observed.  Our 
Abbaye  is  like  to  be  a  gallant  ceremony,  for  divers 
gentlemen  of  name  are  in  the  town,  and  I  hear  of 
more  that  are  pricking  forward  among  the  moun 
tains  from  countries  beyond  the  Rhine.  Hadst  thou 
no  other  companions  in  the  bark  but  these  I  see 
around  us?" 

"  There  is  another,  and  I  wonder  that  he  is  not 
here !  'Tis  a  noble  Genoese,  that  thou  hast  often 
heard  me  name,  Sire  de  Blonay,  as  one  that  I  love. 
Gaetano  Grimaldi  is  a  name  familiar  to  thee,  or 
the  words  oi  friendship  have  been  uttered  in  an 
idle  ear." 

"  I  have  heard  so  much  of  the  Italian  that  I  can 
almost  fancy  him  an  old  and  tried  acquaintance. 
When  thou  first  returnedst  from  the  Italian  wars, 
N 


146  THE    HEADSMAN. 

thy  tongue  was  never  weary  of  recounting  his 
praises :  it  was  Gaetano  said  this — Gaetano  thought 
thus — Gaetano  did  that !  Surely  he  is  not  of  thy 
company  ?" 

"  He,  and  no  other !  A  lucky  meeting  on  the 
quay  of  Genf  brought  us  together  again  after  a 
separation  of  full  thirty  ye^ars,  and,  as  if  Heaven 
had  reserved  its  trials  for  the  occasion,  we  have 
been  made  to  go  through  the  late  danger  in  com 
pany.  I  had  him  in  my  arms  in  that  fearful  mo 
ment,  Roger,  when  the  sky,  and  the  mountains, 
and  all  of  earth,  even  to  that  dear  girl,  were 
fading,  as  I  thought  for  ever,  from  my  sight, — he, 
that  had  already  been  my  partner  in  so  many 
risks,  who  had  bled  for  me,  watched  for  me,  rid 
den  for  me,  and  did  all  other  things  that  love  could 
prompt  for  me,  was  brought  by  Providence  to  be 
my  companion  in  the  awful  strait  through  which  I 
have  just  passed !" 

While  the  Baron  was  still  speaking,  his  friend 
entered  with  the  quiet  and  dignified  mien  he  al 
ways  maintained,  when  it  was  not  his  pleasure  to 
throw  aside  the  reserve  of  high  station,  or  when 
he  yielded  to  the  torrents  of  feeling  that  sometimes 
poured  through  his  southern  temperament,  in  a 
way  to  unsettle  the  deportment  of  mere  conven 
tion.  He  was  presented  to  Roger  de  Blonay  and 
the  bailiff,  as  the  person  just  alluded  to,  and  as  the 
oldest  and  most  tried  of  the  friends  of  his  intro 
ducer.  His  reception  by  the  former  was  natural 
and  warm,  while  the  Herr  Hofmeister  was  so  par 
ticular  in  his  professions  of  pleasure  and  respect 
as  to  excite  not  only  notice  but  surprise. 

"  Thanks,  thanks,  good  Peterchen,"  said  the 
Baror  de  Willading,  for  such  was  the  familiar 
diminutive  by  which  the  bustling  bailiff  was  usu 
ally  addressed  by  those  who  could  take  the  liberty  • 


THE    HEADSMAN.  147 

11  thanks,  honest  Peterchen ;  thy  kindness  to  Gae- 
tano  is  so  much  love  shown  to  myself." 

"  I  honor  thy  friends  as  thyself,  Herr  von  Wil 
lading,"  returned  the  bailiff;  "for  thou  hast  a  claim 
to  the  esteem  of  the  burgerschaft  and  all  its  ser 
vants;  but  the  homage  paid  to  the  Signor  Gri- 
maldi  is  due  on  his  own  account.  We  are  but 
poor  Swiss,  that  dwell  in  the  midst  of  wild  moun 
tains,  little  favored  by  the  sun  if  ye  will,  and  less 
known  to  the  world ; — but  we  have  our  manners ! 
A  man  that  hath  been  intrusted  with  authority  as 
long  as  I  were  unfit  for  his  trust,  did  he  not  tell, 
as  it  might  be  by  instinct,  when  he  has  those  in 
his  presence  that  are  to  be  honored.  Signore,  the 
loss  of  Melchior  von  Willading  before  our  haven, 
would  have  made  the  lake  unpleasant  to  us  all,  for 
months,  not  to  say  years ;  but,  had  so  great  a  ca 
lamity  arrived  as  that  of  your  death  by  means  of 
our  waters,  I  could  have  prayed  that  the  moun 
tains  might  fall  into  the  basin,  and  bury  the  offend 
ing  Leman  under  their  rocks  !" 

Melchior  de  Willading  and  old  Roger  de  Bio- 
nay  laughed  heartily  at  Peterchen's  hyperbolical 
compliments ;  though  it  was  quite  plain  that  the 
worthy  bailiff  himself  fancied  he  had  said  a  clever 
thing. 

"I  thank  you,  Signore,  no  less  than  my  friend 
de  Willading,"  returned  the  Genoese,  a  gleam  of 
humor  lighting  his  eye.  "  This  courteous  recep 
tion  quite  outdoes  us  of  Italy ;  for  I  doubt  if  there 
be  a  man  south  of  the  Alps,  who  would  be  willing 
to  condemn  either  of  our  seas  to  so  overwhelming 
a  punishment,  for  a  fault  so  venial,  or  at  least  so 
natural.  I  beg,  however,  that  the  lake  may  be 
pardoned ;  since,  at  the  worst,  it  was  but  a  sec 
ondary  agent  in  the  affair,  and,  I  doubt  not,  it  would 
have  treated  us  as  it  treats  all  travellers,  had  we 
kept  out  of  its  embraces.  The  crime  must  be  im- 


148  THE    HEADSMAN. 

puted  to  the  winds,  and  as  they  are  the  offspring 
of  the  hills,  I  fear  it  will  be  found  that  these  very 
mountains,  to  which  you  look  for  retribution,  will 
be  convicted  at  last  as  the  true  devisers  and  abet 
tors  of  the  plot  against  our  lives." 

The  bailiff  chuckled  and  simpered,  like  a  man 
pleased  equally  with  his  own  wit  and  with  that  he 
had  excited  in  others,  and  the  discourse  changed ; 
though,  throughout  the  night,  as  indeed  was  the 
fact  on  all  other  occasions  during  his  visit,  the 
Signor  Grimaldi  received  from  him  so  marked  and 
particular  attentions,  as  to  create  a  strong  senti 
ment  in  favor  of  the  Italian  among  those  who  had 
been  chiefly  accustomed  to  see  Peterchen  enact 
the  busy,  important,  dignified,  local  functionary. 

Attention  was  now  paid  to  the  first  wants  of  the 
travellers,  who  had  great  need  of  refreshments  af 
ter  the  fatigues  and  exposure  of  the  day.  To  ob 
tain  the  latter,  Roger  de  Blonay  insisted  that  they 
should  ascend  to  his  castle,  in  whose  grate  the  wel 
coming  beacon  still  blazed.  By  means  of  chars- 
ti-banc,  the  peculiar  vehicle  of  the  country,  the 
short  distance  was  soon  overcome,  the  bailiff,  not 
a  little  to  the  surprise  of  the  owner  of  the  house, 
insisting  on  seeing  the  strangers  safely  housed  with 
in  its  walls.  At  the  gate  of  Blonay,  however,  Pe 
terchen  took  his  leave,  making  a  hundred  apologies 
for  his  absence,  on  the  ground  of  the  extensive 
duties  that  had  devolved  on  his  shoulders  in  conse 
quence  of  the  approaching  fete. 

"  We  shall  have  a  mild  winter,  for  I  have  never 
known  the  Herr  Hofmeister  so  courteous;"  ob 
served  Roger  de  Blonay,  while  showing  his  guests 
into  the  castle.  "  Thy  Bernese  authorities,  Mel- 
chior,  are  little  apt  to  be  lavish  of  their  compli 
ments  to  us  poor  nobles  of  Vaud." 

"  Signore,  you  forget  the  interest  of  our  friend ;" 
observed  the  laughing  Genoese.  "  There  are  other 


THE    HEADSMAff.  149 

and  better  bailiwicks,  beyond  a  question,  in  the 
gifts  of  the  Councils,  and  the  Signor  de  Willading 
has  a  loud  voice  in  their  disposal.  Have  I  found 
a  solution  for  this  zeal  V 

"  Thou  hast  not,"  returned  the  baron,  "  for  Pe- 
terchen  hath  little  hope  beyond  that  of  dying  where 
he  has  lived,  the  deputed  ruler  of  a  small  district. 
The  worthy  man  should  have  more  credit  for  a 
good  heart,  his  own,  no  doubt,  being  touched  at 
seeing  those  who  are,  as  it  may  be,  redeemed  from 
the  grave.  I  owe  him  grace  for  the  kindness,  and 
should  a  better  thing  really  offer,  and  could  my 
poor  voice  be  of  account,  why,  I  do  not  say  it 
should  be  silent ;  it  is  serving  the  public  well,  to 
put  men  of  these  kind  feelings  into  places  of  trust." 

This  opinion  appeared  very  natural  to  the  listen 
ers,  all  of  whom,  with  the  exception  of  the  Signor 
Grimaldi,  joined  in  echoing  the  sentiment.  The 
latter,  more  experienced  in  the  windings  of  the 
human  heart,  or  possessing  some  reasons  known 
only  to  himself,  merely  smiled  at  the  remarks  that 
he  heard,  as  if  he  thoroughly  understood  the  differ 
ence  between  the  homage  that  is  paid  to  station, 
and  that  which  a  generous  and  noble  nature  is  com 
pelled  to  yield  to  its  own  impulses. 

An  hour  later,  the  light  repast  was  ended,  and 
Roger  de  Blonay  informed  his  guests  that  they 
would  be  well  repaid  for  walking  a  short  distance, 
by  a  look  at  the  loveliness  of  the  night.  In  sooth, 
the  change  was  already  so  great,  that  it  was  not 
easy  for  the  imagination  to  convert  the  soft  and 
smiling  scene  that  lay  beneath  and  above  the  tow 
ers  of  Blonay,  into  the  dark  vault  and  the  angry 
lake  from  which  they  had  so  lately  escaped. 

Every  cloud  had  already  sailed  far  away  towards 

the  plains  of  Germany,  and  the  moon  had  climbed 

so  high  above  the  ragged  Dent  de  Jaman  as  to 

suffer  its  rays  to  stream  into  the  basin  of  the  Le- 

N2 


150  THE   HEADSMAN. 

man.  A  thousand  pensive  stars  spangled  the  vault 
images  of  the  benign  omnipotence  which  unceas 
ingly  pervades  and  governs  the  universe,  what 
ever  may  be  the  local  derangements  or  accidental 
struggles  of  the  inferior  agents.  The  foaming  and 
rushing  waves  had  gone  down  nearly  as  fast  as 
they  had  arisen,  and,  in  their  stead,  remained  my 
riads  of  curling  ridges  along  which  the  glittering 
moonbeams  danced,  rioting  with  mild  impunity  on 
the  surface  of  the  placid  sheet.  Boats  were  out 
again,  pulling  for  Savoy  or  the  neighboring  vil 
lages  ;  and  the  whole  view  betokened  the  renewed 
confidence  of  those  who  trusted  habitually  to  the 
fickle  and  blustering  elements. 

"  There  is  a  strong  and  fearful  resemblance  be 
tween  the  human  passions  and  these  hot  and  angry 
gusts  of  nature ;"  observed  the  Signor  Grimaldi, 
after  they  had  stood  silently  regarding  the  scene 
for  several  musing  minutes — "  alike  quick  to  be 
aroused  and  to  be  appeased  ;  equally  ungovernable 
while  in  the  ascendant,  and  admitting  the  influence 
of  a  wholesome  reaction,  that  brings  a  more  sober 
tranquillity,  when  the  fit  is  over.  Your  northern 
phlegm  may  render  the  analogy  less  apparent,  but 
it  is  to  be  found  as  well  among  the  cooler  temper 
aments  of  the  Teutonic  stock,  as  among  us  of 
warmer  blood.  Do  not  this  placid  hill-side,  yon 
lake,  and  the  starry  heavens,  look  as  if  they  re 
gretted  their  late  unseemly  violence,  and  wished 
to  cheat  the  beholder  into  forgetfulness  of  their 
attack  on  our  safety,  as  an  impetuous  but  generous 
nature  would  repent  it  of  the  blow  given  in  anger, 
or  of  the  cutting  speech  that  had  escaped  in  a  mo 
ment  of  spleen  1  What  hast  thou  to  say  to  my 
opinion,  Signor  Sigismund,  for  none  know  better 
than  thou  the  quality  of  the  tempest  we  have  en 
countered  ?" 

"  Signore,"  answered  the  young  soldier,  mod- 


THE    HEADSMAN.  151 

cstly,  "you  forget  this  brave  mariner,  without 
whose  coolness  and  forethought  all  would  have 
been  lost.  He  has  come  up  to  Blonay,  at  our  own 
request,  but,  until  now,  he  has  been  overlooked." 

Maso  came  forward  at  a  signal  from  Sigismund, 
and  stood  before  the  party  to  whom  he  had  ren 
dered  so  signal  aid,  with  a  composure  that  was 
not  easily  disturbed. 

"  I  have  come  up  to  the  castle,  Signore,  at  your 
commands,"  he  said,  addressing  the  Genoese ; 
«'  but,  having  my  own  affairs  on  hand,  must  now 
beg  to  know  your  pleasure  ?" 

"  We  have,  in  sooth,  been  negligent  of  thy  merit. 
On  landing,  my  first  thought  was  of  thee,  as  thou 
knowest :  but  other  things  had  caused  me  to  forget 
thee.  Thou  art,  like  myself,  an  Italian  V 

"  Signore,  I  am." 

«  Of  what  country  ?" 

"  Of  your  own,  Signore ;  a  Genoese,  as  I  have 
said  before." 

The  other  remembered  the  circumstance,  though 
it  did  not  seem  to  please  him.  He  looked  around, 
as  if  to  detect  what  others  thought,  and  then  con 
tinued  his  questions. 

"  A  Genoese!"  he  repeated,  slowly:  "if  this  be 
so,  we  should  know  something  of  each  other. 
Hast  ever  heard  of  me,  in  thy  frequent  visits  to 
the  port?" 

Maso  smiled ;  at  first,  he  appeared  disposed  to 
be  facetious;  but  a  dark  cloud  passed  over  his 
swarthy  lineaments,  and  he  lost  his  pleasantry,  in 
an  air  of  thoughtfulness  that  struck  his  interroga 
tor  as  singular. 

•"  Signore,"  he  said,  after  a  pause,  "  most  that 
follow  my  manner  of  life  know  something  of  your 
eccellenza ;  if  it  is  only  to  be  questioned  of  this 
that  I  am  here,  I  pray  leave  to  be  pe  tnitted  to  go 
my  way."  • 


152  .THE   HEADSMAJf 

"  No,  by  San  Francesco !  thou  quittest  us  not  swi 
unceremoniously.  I  am  wrong  to  assume  the  man* 
ner  of  a  superior  with  one  to  whom  I  owe  my 
life,  and  am  well  answered.  But  there  is  a  heavy 
account  to  be  settled  between  us,  and  I  will  do 
something  towards  wiping  out  the  balance,  which 
is  so  greatly  against  me,  now ;  leaving  thee  to  apply 
for  a  further  statement,  when  we  shall  both  be 
again  in  our  own  Genoa." 

The  Signer  Grimaldi  had  reached  forth  an  arm, 
while  speaking,  and  received  a  well-filled  purse 
from  his  countryman  and  companion,  Marcelli. 
This  was  soon  emptied  of  its  contents,  a  fair  show 
of  sequins,  all  of  which  were  offered  to  the  mari 
ner,  without  reservation.  Maso  looked  coldly  at 
the  glittering  pile,  and,  by  his  hesitation,  left  a 
doubt  whether  he  did  not  think  the  reward  insuf 
ficient. 

"  I  tell  thee  it  is  but  the  present  gage  of  further 
payment.  At  Genoa  our  account  shall  be  fairly 
settled ;  but  this  is  all  that  a  traveller  can  prudent 
ly  spare.  Thou  wilt  come  to  me  in  our  own  town, 
and  we  will  look  to  all  thy  interests." 

"  Signore,  you  offer  that  for  which  men  do  all 
acts,  whether  of  good  or  of  evil.  They  jeopard 
their  souls  for  this  very  metal;  mock  at  God's 
laws;  overlook  the  right;  trifle  with  justice,  and 
become  devils  incarnate  to  possess  it ;  and  yet, 
though  nearly  penniless,  I  am  so  placed  as  to  be 
compelled  to  refuse  what  you  offer." 

"  I  tell  thee,  Maso,  that  it  shall  be  increased  here 
after — or — we  are  not  so  poor  as  to  go  a-begging ! 
Good  Marcelli,  empty  thy  hoards,  and  I  will  have 
recourse  to  Melchior  de  Willading's  purse  for  oui 
wants,  until  we  can  get  nearer  to  our  own  sup 
plies." 

"  And  is  Melchior  de  Willading  to  pass  for  no 
thing,  in  all  this !"  exclaimed  the  Baron ;  "  put  up 


THE    HEADSMAN.  153 

^hy  gold,  Gaetano,  and  leave  me  to  satisfy  the 
honest  mariner  for  the  present.  At  a  later  day, 
he  can  come  to  thee,  in  Italy :  but  here,  on  my 
own  ground,  I  claim  the  right  to  be  his  banker." 

"  Signore,"  returned  Maso,  earnestly  and  with 
more  of  gentle  feeling  than  he  was  accustomed  to 
betray,  "  you  are  both  liberal  beyond  my  desires, 
and  but  too  well  disposed  for  my  poor  wants.  I 
have  come  up  to  the  castle  at  your  order,  and  to 
do  you  pleasure,  but  not  in  the  hope  to  get  money. 
I  am  poor ;  that  k  would  be  useless  to  deny,  for 
appearances  are  against  me — "  here  he  laughed, 
his  auditors  thought  in  a  manner  that  was  forced 
— "  but  poverty  and  meanness  are  not  always  in 
separable.  You  have  more  than  suspected  to-day 
that  my  life  is  free,  and  I  admit  it ;  but  it  is  a  mis 
take  to  believe  that,  because  men  quit  the  high-road 
which  some  call  honesty,  in  any  particular  prac 
tice,  they  are  without  human  feeling.  I  have  been 
useful  in  saving  your  lives,  Signori,  and  there  is 
more  pleasure  in  the  reflection,  than  I  should 
find  in  having  the  means  to  earn  twice  the  gold 
ye  offer.  Here  is  the  Signor  Capitano,"  he  added, 
taking  Sigismund  by  the  arm,  and  dragging  him 
forward,  "  lavish  your  favors  on  him,  for  no 
practice  of  mine  could  have  been  of  use  without 
his  bravery.  If  ye  give  him  all  in  your  treasuries, 
even  to  its  richest  pearl,  ye  will  do  no  more  than 
reason." 

As  Maso  ceased,  he  cast  a  glance  towards  the 
attentive,  breathless  Adelheid,  that  continued  to 
.utter  his  meaning  even  after  the  tongue  was  silent. 
The  bright  suffusion  that  covered  the  maiden's 
face  was  visible  even  by  the  pale  moonlight,  and 
Sigismund  shrunk  back  from  his  rude  grasp  in  the 
manner  in  which  the  guilty  retire  from  notice. 

"  These  opinions  are  creditable  to  thee,  Maso," 
returned  the  Genoese,  affecting  not  to  understand 


154  THE    HEADSMAN. 

his  more  particular  meaning,  "  and  they  excite  a 
stronger  wish  to  be  thy  friend.  I  will  say  no  more 
on  the  subject  at  present,  for  I  see  thy  humor. 
Thou  wilt  let  me  see  thee  at  Genoa  ? " 

The  expression  of  Maso's  countenance  was  in 
explicable,  but  he  retained  his  usual  indifference 
of  manner. 

"  Signor  Gaetano,"  he  said,  using  a  mariner's 
freedom  in  the  address,  "  there  are  nobles  in 
Genoa  that  might  better  knock  at  the  door  of  your 
palace  than  I ;  and  there  are  those,  too,  in  the  city 
that  would  gossip,  were  it  known  that  you  received 
such  guests." 

"  This  is  tying  thyself  too  closely  to  an  evil  and 
a  dangerous  trade.  I  suspect  thee  to  be  of  the 
contraband,  but  surely  it  is  not  a  pursuit  so  free 
from  danger,  of  so  much  repute,  or,  judging  by 
thy  attire,  of  so  much  profit  even,  that  thou  need- 
est  be  wedded  to  it  for  life.  Means  can  be  found 
to  relieve  thee  from  its  odium,  by  giving  thee  a 
place  in  those  customs  with  which  thou  hast  so 
often  trifled." 

Maso  laughed  outright. 

"  So  it  is,  Signore,  in  this  moral  world  of  ours . 
he  who  would  run  a  fair  course  in  any  particular 
trust  has  only  to  make  himself  dangerous  to  be 
bought  up.  Your  thief-takers  are  desperate  rogues 
out  of  business ;  your  tide-waiter  has  got  his  art  by 
cheating  the  revenue ;  and  I  have  been  in  lands 
where  it  was  said,  that  all  they  who  most  fleeced 
the  people  began  their  calling  as  suffering  patriots. 
The  rule  is  firmly  enough  established  without  the 
help  of  my  poor  name,  and,  by  your  leave,  I  will 
remain  as  I  am ;  one  that  hath  his  pleasure  in  liv 
ing  amid  risks,  and  who  takes  his  revenge  of  the 
authorities  by  railing  at  them  when  defeated,  and 
in  laughing  at  them  when  in  success." 


THE    HEADSMAN.  155 

*  Young  man,  thou  hast  in  thee  the  materials  01 
*  better  life!" 

"  Signore,  this  may  be  true,"  answered  Maso, 
whose  countenance  again  grew  dark ;  "  we  boast 
of  being  the  lords  of  the  creation,  but  the  bark  of 
poor  Baptista  was  not  less  master  of  its  move 
ments,  in  the  late  gust,  than  we  are  masters  of  our 
fortunes.  Signor  Grimaldi,  I  have  in  me  the 
materials  that  make  a  man;  but  th3  laws,  and 
the  opinions,  and  the  accursed  strife  of  men,  have 
left  me  what  I  am.  For  the  first  fifteen  years  of 
my  career,  the  church  was  to  be  my  stepping- 
stone  to  a  cardinal's  hat  or  a  fat  priory ;  but  the 
briny  sea-water  washed  out  the  necessary  unc 
tion." 

"  Thou  art  better  born  than  thou  seemest — thou 
hast  friends  who  should  be  grieved  at  this  1" 

The  eye  of  Maso  flashed^but  he  bent  it  aside,  as 
if  bearing  down,  by  the  force  of  an  indomitable 
will,  some  sudden  and  fierce  impulse. 

"  I  was  born  of  woman !"  he  said,  with  singular 
emphasis. 

"  And  thy  mother — is  she  not  pained  at  thy 
present  course — does  she  know  of  thy  career  ?" 

The  haggard  smile  to  which  this  question  gave 
birth  induced  the  Genoese  to  regret  that  he  had 
put  it.  Maso  evidently  struggled  to  subdue  some 
feeling  which  harrowed  his  very  soul,  and  his  suc 
cess  was  owing  to  such  a  command  of  himself  as 
men  rarely  obtain. 

*"  She  is  dead,"  he  answered,  huskily ;  "  she  is  a 
saint  with  the  angels.  Had  she  lived,  I  should 
never  have  been  a  mariner,  and — and — "  laying 
bis  hand  on  his  throat,  as  if  to  keep  down  the 
sense  of  suffocation,  he  smiled,  and  added,  laugh 
ingly, — "  ay,  and  the  good  Winkelried  would  have 
been  a  wreck." 

"Maso,  thou  must  come  to  me  at  Genoa.     I 


150  THE   HEADSMAN. 

must  see  more  of  thee,  and  question  thee  further 
of  thy  fortunes.  A  fair  spirit  has  been  perverted 
in  thy  fall,  and  the  friendly  aid  of  one  who  is  not 
without  influence  may  still  restore  its  tone." 

The  Signor  Grimaldi  spoke  warmly,  like  one 
who  sincerely  felt  regret,  and  his  voice  had  all  the 
melancholy  and  earnestness  of  such  a  sentiment. 
The  truculent  nature  of  Maso  was  touched  by 
this  show  of  interest,  and  a  multitude  of  fierce 
passions  were  at  once  subdued.  He  approached 
the  noble  Genoese,  and  respectfully  took  his  hand. 

"  Pardon  the  freedom,  S  ignore,"  he  said  more 
mildly,  intently  regarding  the  wrinkled  and  attenu 
ated  fingers,  with  the  map-like  tracery  of  veins, 
that  he  held  in  his  own  brown  and  hard  palm; 
"  this  is  not  the  first  time  that  our  flesh  has  touch 
ed  each  other,  though  it  is  the  first  time  that  our 
hands  have  joined.  Let  it  now  be  in  amity.  A 
humor  has  come  over  me,  and  I  would  crave  your 
pardon,  venerable  noble,  for  the  freedom.  Sig 
nore,  you  are  aged,  and  honored,  and  stand  high, 
doubtless,  in  Heaven's  favor,  as  in  that  of  man — 
grant  me,  then,  your  blessing,  ere  I  go  my  way." 

As  Maso  preferred  this  extraordinary  request, 
he  knelt  with  an  air  of  so  much  reverence  and  sin 
cerity  as  to  leave  little  choice  as  to  granting  it. 
The  Genoese  was  surprised,  but  not  disconcerted. 
With  perfect  dignity  and  self-possession,  and  with 
a  degree  of  feeling  that  was  not  unsuited  to  the 
occasion,  the  fruit  of  emotions  so  powerfully  awak 
ened,  he  pronounced  the  benediction.  The  mariner 
arose,  kissed  the  hand  which  he  still  held,  made  a 
hurried  sign  of  salutation  to  all,  leaped  down  the 
declivity  on  which  they  stood,  and  vanished  among 
the  shadows  of  a  copse. 

Sigismund,  who  had  witnessed  this  unusual 
scene  with  surprise,  watched  him  to  the  last,  and 
he  saw,  by  the  manner  in  which  he  dashed  his 


THE    HEADSMAN.  157 

nand  across  his  eyes,  that  his  fierce  nature  had 
been  singularly  shaken.  On  recovering  his 
thoughts,  the  Signor  Grimaldi,  too,  felt  certain 
there  had  been  no  mockery  in  the  conduct  of 
their  inexplicable  preserver,  for  a  hot  tear  had  fal 
len  on  his  hand  ere  it  was  liberated.  He  was  him 
self  strongly  agitated  by  what  had  passed,  and, 
leaning  on  his  friend,  he  slowly  re-entered  the 
gates  of  Blonay. 

"  This  extraordinary  demand  of  Maso's  has 
brought  up  the  sad  image  of  my  own  poor  son, 
dear  Melchior,"  he  said ; "  would  to  Heaven  that  he 
could  have  received  this  blessing,  and  that  it  might 
have  been  of  use  to  him,  in  the  sight  of  God  !  Nay, 
he  may  yet  hear  of  it — for,  canst  thou  believe  it, 
I  have'  thought  that  Maso  may  be  one  of  his 
lawless  associates,  and  that  some  wild  desire  to 
communicate  this  scene  has  prompted  the  strange 
request  I  granted." 

The  discourse  continued,  but  it  became  secret, 
and  of  the  most  confidential  kind.  The  rest  of  the 
party  soon  sought  their  beds,  though  lamps  were 
burning  in  the  chambers  of  the  two  old  nobles  to 
a  late  hour  of  the  night 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Where  are  my  Switzers  1  Let  them  guard  the  door  : 
What  is  the  matter  1 

HAMLET. 

THE  American  autumn,  or  fall,  as  we  poetically 
and  affectionately  term  this  generous  and  mellow 
season  among  ourselves,  is  thought  to  be  unsur- 
O 


158  THE    HEADSMAN 

passed,  in  its  warm  and  genial  lustre,  its  bland  and 
exhilarating  airs,  and  its  admirable  constancy,  by 
the  decline  of  the  year  in  nearly  every  other  por 
tion  of  the  earth.  Whether  attachment  to  our 
own  fair  and  generous  land,  has  led  us  to  over-es 
timate  its  advantages  or  not,  and  bright  and  cheer 
ful  as  our  autumnal  days  certainly  are,  a  fairer 
morning  never  dawned  upon  the  Alleghanies,  than 
that  which  illumined  the  Alps,  on  the  reappear 
ance  of  the  sun  after  the  gust  of  the  night  which 
has  been  so  lately  described.  As  the  day  ad 
vanced,  the  scene  grew  gradually  more  lovely,  until 
warm  and  glowing  Italy  itself  could  scarce  pre 
sent  a  landscape  more  winning,  or  one  possessing 
a  fairer  admixture  of  the  grand  and  the  soft,  than 
that  which  greeted  the  eye  of  Adelheid  de  Willa- 
ding,  as,  leaning  on  the  arm  of  her  father,  she  is 
sued  from  the  gate  of  Blonjay,  upon  its  elevated 
and  gravelled  terrace. 

It  has  already  been  said  that  this  ancient  and 
historical  building  stood  against  the  bosom  of  the 
mountains,  at  the  distance  of  a  short  league  be 
hind  the  town  of  Vevey.  All  the  elevations  of 
this  region  are  so  many  spurs  of  the  same  vast 
pile,  and  that  on  which  Blonay  has  now  been  seat 
ed  from  the  earliest  period  of  the  middle  ages  be 
longs  to  that  particular  line  of  rocky  ramparts, 
which  separates  the  Valais  from  the  centre  can 
tons  of  the  confederation  of  Switzerland,  and  which 
is  commonly  known  as  the  range  of  the  Oberland 
Alps.  This  line  of  snow-crowned  rocks  terminates 
in  perpendicular  precipices  on  the  very  margin  of 
the  Leman,  and  forms,  on  the  side  of  the  lake, 
a  part  of  that  magnificent  setting  which  renders 
the  south-eastern  horn  of  its  crescent  so  wonder 
fully  beautiful.  The  upright  natural  wall  that 
overhangs  Villeneuve  and  Chillon  stretches  along 
the  verge  of  the  water,  barely  leaving  room  for  a 


THE    HEADSMAN.  159 

carriage-road,  with  here  and  there  a  cottage 
at  its  base,  for  the  distance  of  two  leagues,  when 
it  diverges  from  the  course  of  the  lake,  and, 
withdrawing  inland,  it  is  finally  lost  among  the 
minor  eminences  of  Fribourg.  Every  one  has  ob 
served  those  sloping  declivities,  composed  of  the 
washings  of  torrents,  the  debris  of  precipices,  and 
what  may  be  termed  the  constant  drippings  of  per 
pendicular  eminencies,  and  which  lie  like  broad 
buttresses  at  their  feet,  forming  a  sort  of  foundation 
or  basement  for  the  superincumbent  mass.  Among 
the  Alps,  where  nature  has  acted  on  so  sublime  a 
scale,  and  where  all  the  proportions  are  duly  ob 
served,  these  debris  of  the  high  mountains  fre 
quently  contain  villages  and  towns,  or  form  vast 
fields,  vineyards,  and  pasturages,  according  to 
their  elevation  or  their  exposure  towards  the  sun. 
It  may  be  questioned,  in  strict  geology,  whether 
the  variegated  acclivity  that  surrounds  Vevey, 
rich  in  villages  and  vines,  hamlets  and  castles,  has 
been  thus  formed,  or  whether  the  natural  convul 
sions  which  expelled  the  upper  rocks  from  the 
crust  of  the  earth  left  their  bases  in  the  present 
broken  and  beautiful  forms;  but  the  fact  is  not 
important  to  the  effect,  which  is  that  just  named, 
and  which  gives  to  these  vast  ranges  of  rock  se 
condary  and  fertile  bases,  that,  in  other  regions, 
would  be  termed  mountains  of  themselves. 

The  castle  and  family  of  Blonay,  for  both  still 
exist,  are  among  the  oldest  of  Vaud.  A  square, 
rude  tower,  based  upon  a  foundation  of  rock,  one 
of  those  ragged  masses  that  thrust  their  naked 
heads  occasionally  through  the  soil  of  the  declivity, 
was  the  commencement  of  the  hold.  Other  edifices 
have  been  reared  around  this  nucleus  in  different 
ages,  until  the  whole  presents  one  of  those  pecu 
liar  and  picturesque  piles,  that  ornament  so  many 


160  THE    HEADSMAN. 

both  of  the  savage  and  of  the  softer  sites  of  Swit 
zerland. 

The  terrace  towards  which  Adelheid  and  her 
father  advanced  was  an  irregular  walk,  shaded  by 
venerable  trees  that  had  been  raised  near  the  prin 
cipal  or  the  carriage  gate  of  the  castle,  on  a  ledge 
of  those  rocks  that  form  the  foundation  of  the 
buildings  themselves.  It  had  its  parapet  walls,  its 
seats,  its  artificial  soil,  and  its  gravelled  allees,  as 
is  usual  with  these  antiquated  ornaments ;  but  it 
also  had,  what  is  better  than  these,  one  of  the  most 
sublime  and  lovely  views  that  ever  greeted  human 
eyes.  Beneath  it  lay  the  undulating  and  teeming 
declivity,  rich  in  vines,  and  carpeted  with  sward, 
here  dotted  by  hamlets,  there  park-like  and  rural 
with  forest  trees,  while  there  was  no  quarter  that 
did  not  show  the  roof  of  a  chateau  or  the  tower 
of  some  rural  church.  There  is  little  of  magnifi 
cence  in  Swiss  architecture,  which  never  much 
surpasses,  and  is,  perhaps,  generally  inferior  to  our 
own ;  but  the  beauty  and  quaintness  of  the  sites, 
the  great  variety  of  the  surfaces,  the  hill-sides,  and 
the  purity  of  the  atmosphere,  supply  charms  that 
are  peculiar  to  the  country.  Vevey  lay  at  the  wa 
ter-side,  many  hundred  feet  lower,  and  seemingly 
on  a  narrow  strnnd,  though  in  truth  enjoying  am 
ple  space ;  while  the  houses  of  St.  Saphorin,  Cor- 
sier,  Montreux,  and  of  a  dozen  more  villages,  were 
clustered  together,  like  so  many  of  the  compact 
habitations  of  wasps  stuck  against  the  mountains. 
But  the  principal  charm  was  in  the  Leman.  One 
who  had  never  witnessed  the  lake  in  its  fury,  could 
not  conceive  the  possibility  of  danger  in  the  tran 
quil  shining  sheet  that  was  now  spread  like  a  liquid 
mirror,  for  leagues,  beneath  the  eye.  Some  six  or 
seven  barks  were  in  view,  their  sails  drooping  in 
negligent  forms,  as  if  disposed  expressly  to  become 
models  for  the  artist,  their  yards  inclining  as  chance 


THE   HEADSMAN.  161 

had  cast  them,  and  their  hulls  looming  large,  to 
complete  the  picture.  To  these  near  objects  must 
be  added  the  distant  view,  which  extended  to  the 
Jura  in  one  direction,  and  which  in  the  other  was 
bounded  by  the  frontiers  of  Italy,  whose  aerial 
limits  were  to  be  traced  in  that  region  which  ap 
pears  to  belong  neither  to  heaven  nor  to  earth,  the 
abode  of  eternal  frosts.  The  Rhone  was  shining, 
in  spots,  among  the  meadows  of  the  Valais,  for 
the  elevation  of  the  castle  admitted  of  its  being 
seen,  and  Adelheid  endeavored  to  trace  among  the 
mazes  of  the  mountains  the  valleys  which  led  to 
those  sunny  countries,  towards  which  they  jour 
neyed. 

The  sensations  of  both  father  and  daughter, 
when  they  came  beneath  the  leafy  canopy  of  the 
terrace,  were  those  of  mute  delight.  It  was  evi 
dent,  by  the  expression  of  their  countenances,  that 
they  were  in  a  favorable  mood  to  receive  plea 
surable  impressions ;  for  the  face  of  each  was  full 
of  that  quiet  happiness  which  succeeds  sudden  and 
lively  joy.  Adelheid  had  been  weeping;  but,  judg 
ing  from  the  radiance  of  her  eyes,  the  healthful 
and  brightening  bloom  of  her  cheeks,  and  the 
struggling  smiles  that  played  about  her  ripe  lips, 
the  tears  had  been  sweet,  rather  than  painful. 
Though  still  betraying  enough  of  physical  frailty 
to  keep  alive  the  concern  of  all  who  loved  her, 
there  was  a  change  for  the  better  in  her  appear 
ance,  which  was  so  sensible  as  to  strike  the  least 
observant  of  those  who  lived  in  daily  communica 
tion  with  the  invalid. 

"  If  pure  and  mild  air,  a  sunny  sky,  and  ravish 
ing  scenery,  be  what  they  seek  who  cross  the  Alps, 
my  father,"  said  Adelheid,  after  they  had  stood  a 
moment,  gazing  at  the  magnificent  panorama, 
"  why  should  the  Swiss  quit  his  native  land  ?  Is 
02 


162  THE    HEADSMAJf. 

there  in  Italy  aught  more  soft,  more  winning,  or 
more  healthful,  than  this  ?" 

"  This  spot  has  often  been  called  the  Italy  of  our 
mountains.  The  fig  ripens  near  yonder  village  of 
Montreux,  and,  open  to  the  morning  sun  while  it 
is  sheltered  by  the  precipices  above,  the  whole  of 
that  shore  well  deserves  its  happy  reputation.  Still 
they  whose  spirits  require  diversion,  and  whose 
constitutions  need  support,  generally  prefer  to  go 
into  countries  where  the  mind  has  more  occupa 
tion,  and  where  a  greater  variety  of  employments 
help  the  climate  and  nature  to  complete  the  cure." 

"  But  thou  forgettest,  father,  it  is  agreed  between 
us  that  I  am  now  to  become  strong,  and  active, 
and  laughing,  as  we  used  to  be  at  Willading,  when 
I  first  grew  into  womanhood." 

"  If  I  could  but  see  those  days  again,  darling, 
my  own  closing  hours  would  be  calm  as  those  of 
a  saint — though  Heaven  knows  I  have  little  pre 
tension  to  that  blessed  character  in  any  other  par 
ticular." 

"  Dost  thou  not  count  a  quiet  conscience  and  a 
sure  hope  as  something,  father  ?" 

"  Have  it  as  thou  wilt,  girl.  Make  a  saint  of 
me,  or  a  bishop,  or  a  hermit,  if  thou  wilt ;  the  only 
reward  I  ask  is,  to  see  thee  smiling  and  happy,  as 
thou  never  failedst  to  be  during  the  first  eighteen 
years  of  thy  life.  Had  I  foreseen  that  thou  wert 
to  return  from  my  good  sister  so  little  like  thyself, 
I  would  have  forbidden  the  visit,  much  as  I  love 
her,  and  all  that  are  her's.  But  the  wisest  of  us 
are  helpless  mortals,  and  scarce  know  our  own 
wants  from  hour  to  hour.  Thou  saidst,  I  think, 
that  this  brave  Sigismund  honestly  declared  his 
belief  that  my  consent  could  never  be  given  to  one 
who  had  so  little  to  boast  of,  in  the  way  of  birth 
and  fortune  1  There  was,  at  least,  good  sense,  and 


THE    HEADSMAN.  163 

modesty,  and  right  feeling,  in  the  doubt,  but  he 
should  have  thought  better  of  my  heart." 

"  He  said  this ;"  returned  Adelheid,  in  a  timid 
and  slightly  trembling  voice,  though  it  was  quite 
apparent  by  the  confiding  expression  of  her  eye, 
that  she  had  no  longer  any  secret  from  her  parent. 
"  He  had  too  much  honor  to  wish  to  win  the  daugh 
ter  of  a  noble  without  the  knowledge  and  appro 
bation  of  her  friends." 

"That  the  boy  should  love  thee,  Adelheid,  is 
natural ;  it  is  an  additional  proof  of  his  own  merit 
— but  that  he  should  distrust  my  affection  and  jus 
tice  is  an  offence  that  I  can  scarce  forgive.  What 
are  ancestry  and  wealth  to  thy  happiness  ?" 

"  Thou  forget'st,  dear  sir,  he  is  yet  to  learn  that 
my  happiness,  in  any  measure,  depends  on  his." 

Adelheid  spoke  quickly  and  with  warmth. 

"  He  knew  I  was  a  father  and  that  thou  art  an 
only  child ;  one  of  his  good  sense  and  right  way 
of  thinking  should  have  better  understood  the  feel 
ings  of  a  man  in  my  situation,  than  to  doubt  his 
natural  affection." 

"  As  he  has  never  been  the  parent  of  an  only 
daughter,  father,"  answered  the  smiling  Adelheid, 
for,  in  her  present  mood,  smiles  came  easily,  "  he 
may  not  have  felt  or  anticipated  all  that  thou 
imagin'st.  He  knew  the  prejudices  of  the  world 
on  the  subject  of  noble  blood,  and  they  are  few  in 
deed,  that,  having  much,  are  disposed  to  part  with 
it  to  him  who  hath  little." 

"  The  lad  reasoned  more  like  an  old  miser  than 
a  young  soldier,  and  I  have  a  great  mind  to  let 
him  feel  my  displeasure  for  thinking  so  meanly  ot 
me.  Have  we  not  Willading,  with  all  its  fair  lands, 
besides  our  rights  in  the  city,  that  we  need  go  beg 
ging  money  of  others,  like  needy  mendicants! 
Thou  hast  been  in  the  conspiiacy  against  my 


164  THE    HEADSMAN. 

character,  girl,  or  such  a  fear  could  not  have  g.ven 
either  uneasiness  for  a  moment." 

"I  never  thought,  father,  that  thou  would'st 
reject  him  on  account  of  poverty,  for  I  knew  our 
own  means  sufficient  for  all  our  own  wants ;  but  1 
did  believe  that  he  who  could  not  boast  the  privi 
leges  of  nobility  might  fail  to  gain  thy  favor." 

"Are  we  not  a  republic  ? — is  not  the  right  of  the 
biirgerschaft  the  one  essential  right  in  Berne — why 
should  I  raise  obstacles  about  that  on  which  the 
laws  are  silent  ?" 

Adelheid  listened,  as  a  female  of  her  years  would 
be  apt  to  listen  to  words  so  grateful,  with  a  charmed 
ear ;  and  yet  she  shook  her  head,  in  a  way  to  ex 
press  an  incredulity  that  was  not  altogether  free 
from  apprehension. 

"  For  thy  generous  forgetfulness  of  old  opinions 
in  behalf  of  my  happiness,  dearest  father,"  she  re 
sumed,  the  tears  starting  unbidden  to  her  thought 
ful  blue  eye,  "  I  thank  thee  fervently.  It  is  true 
that  we  are  inhabitants  of  a  republic,  but  we  are 
not  the  less  noble." 

"  Dost  thou  turn  against  thyself,  and  hunt  up 
reasons  why  I  should  not  do  that  which  thou  hast 
just  acknowledged  to  be  so  necessary  to  prevent 
thee  from  following  thy  brothers  and  sisters  to 
their  early  graves  ?" 

The  blood  rushed  in  a  torrent  to  the  face  of 
Adelheid,  for  though,  weeping  and  in  the  moment 
of  tender  confidence  which  succeeded  her  thanks 
givings  for  the  baron's  safety,  she  had  thrown  her 
self  on  his  bosom,  and  confessed  that  the  hopeless 
ness  of  the  sentiments  with  which  she  met  the  de 
clared  love  of  Sigismund  was  the  true  cause  of  the 
apparsnt  malady  that  had  so  much  alarmed  her 
friends,  the  words  which  had  flowed  spontaneously 
from  her  heart,  in  so  tender  a  scene,  had  never  ap 
peared  to  her  to  convey  a  meaning  so  strong,  or 


THE    HEADSMAN.  1C5 

one  so  wounding  to  virgin-pride,  as  that  which  her 
father,  in  the  strength  of  his  masculine  habits,  had 
now  given  them. 

"  In  God's  mercy,  father,  I  shall  live,  whether 
united  to  Sigismund  or  not,  to  smooth  thine  own 
decline  and  to  bless  tny  old  age.  A  pious  daugh 
ter  will  never  be  torn  so  cruelly  from  one  to  whom 
she  is  the  last  and  only  stay.  I  may  mourn  this 
disappointment,  and  foolishly  wish,  perhaps,  it 
might  have  been  otherwise ;  but  ours  is  not  a  house 
of  which  the  maidens  die  for  their  inclinations  in 
favor  of  any  youths,  however  deserving !" 

"  Noble  or  simple,"  added  the  baron,  laughing, 
for  he  saw  that  his  daughter  spoke  in  sudden  pique, 
rather  than  from  her  excellent  heart.  Adelheid, 
whose  good  sense,  and  quick  recollections,  instant 
ly  showed  her  the  weakness  of  this  little  display  of 
female  feeling,  laughed  faintly  in  her  turn,  though 
she  repeated  his  words  as  if  to  give  still  more 
emphasis  to  her  own. 

"This  will  not  do,  my  daughter.  They  who 
profess  the  republican  doctrine,  should  not  be  too 
rigid  in  their  constructions  of  privileges.  If  Sigis 
mund  be  not  noble,  it  will  not  be  difficult  to  obtain 
for  him  that  honorable  distinction,  and,  in  failure 
of  male  line,  he  may  bear  the  name  and  sustain  the 
honors  of  our  family.  In  any  case  he  will  become 
of  the  biirgerschaft,  and  that  of  itself  will  be  all  that 
is  required  in  Berne." 

"  In  Berne,  father,"  returned  Adelheid,  who  had 
so  far  forgotten  the  recent  movement  of  pride  as  to 
smile  on  her  fond  and  indulgent  parent,  thougn, 
yielding  to  the  waywardness  of  the  happy,  she 
continued  to  trifle  with  her  own  feelings — "  it  is 
true.  The  biirgerschaft  will  be  sufficient  for  all 
the  purposes  of  office  and  political  privileges,  but 
will  it  suffice  for  the  opinions  of  our  equals,  for  the 
prejudices  of  society,  or  for  your  own  perfect  con 


166  THE    HEADSMAN. 

tentment,  when  the  freshness  of  gratitude  shall 
have  passed  ?" 

"  Thou  puttest  these  questions,  girl,  as  if  employ 
ed  to  defeat  thine  own  cause — Dost  not  truly  love 
the  boy,  after  all  V 

"  On  this  subject,  I  have  spoken  sincerely  and  as 
became  thy  child,"  frankly  returned  Adelheid. 
"  He  saved  my  life  from  imminent  peril,  as  he  has 
now  saved  thine,  and  although  my  aunt,  fearful  of 
thy  displeasure,  would  not  that  thou  should'st  hear 
the  tale,  her  prohibition  could  not  prevent  grati 
tude  from  having  its  way.  I  have  told  thee  that 
Sigismund  has  declared  his  feelings,  although  he 
nobly  abstained  from  even  asking  a  return,  and  I 
should  not  have  been  my  mother's  child,  could  I 
have  remained  entirely  indifferent  to  so  much  worth 
united  to  a  service  so  great.  What  I  have  said  of 
our  prejudices  is,  then,  rather  for  your  reflection, 
dearest  sir,  than  for  myself.  I  have  thought  much 
of  all  this,  and  am  ready  to  make  any  sacrifice  to 
pride,  and  to  bear  all  the  remarks  of  the  world,  in 
order  to  discharge  a  debt  to  one  to  whom  I  owe 
so  much.  But,  while  it  is  natural,  perhaps  una 
voidable,  that  I  should  feel  thus,  thou  art  not  ne 
cessarily  to  forget  the  other  claims  upon  thee.  It 
s  true  that,  in  one  sense,  we  are  all  to  each  other, 
but  there  is  a  tyrant  that  will  scarce  let  any  escape 
from  his  reign ;  I  mean  opinion.  Let  us  then  not 
deceive  ourselves — though  we  of  Berne  affect  the 
republic,  and  speak  much  of  liberty,  it  is  a  small 
state,  and  the  influence  of  those  that  are  larger  and 
more  powerful  among  our  neighbors  rules  in  every 
thing  that  touches  opinion.  A  noble  is  as  much  a 
noble  in  Berne,  in  all  but  what  the  law  bestows,  as 
he  is  in  the  Empire — and  thou  knowest  we  come 
of  the  German  root,  which  has  struck  deep  into 
»hese  prejudices." 

The  Baron  de  Willading  had  been  much  accus- 


THE    HEADSMAN.  167 

tomed  to  defer  to  the  superior  mind  and  more  cul 
tivated  understanding  of  his  daughter,  who,  in  the 
retirement  of  her  father's  castle,  had  read  and  re 
flected  far  more  than  her  years  would  have  proba 
bly  permitted  in  the  busier  scenes  of  the  world. 
He  felt  the  justice  of  her  remark,  and  they  had 
walked  the  entire  length  of  the  terrace  in  profound 
silence,  before  he  could  summon  the  ideas  neces 
sary  to  make  a  suitable  answer. 

"  The  truth  of  what  thou  sayest,  is  not  to  be  de 
nied,"  he  at  length  said,  "but  it  may  be  palliated. 
I  have  many  friends  in  the  German  courts,  and 
favors  may  be  had :  letters  of  nobility  will  give 
the  youth  the  station  he  wants,  after  which  he  can 
claim  thy  hand  without  offence  to  any  opinions, 
whether  of  Berne  or  elsewhere." 

"  I  doubt  if  Sigismund  will  willingly  become  a 
party  to  this  expedient.  Our  own  nobility  is  of 
ancient  origin ;  it  dates  from  a  period  anterior  to 
the  existence  of  Berne  as  a  city,  and  is  much  older 
than  our  institutions.  I  remember  to  have  heard 
him  say,  that  when  a  people  refuse  to  bestow  these 
distinctions  themselves,  their  citizens  can  never 
receive  them  from  others  without  a  loss  of  digni 
ty  and  character,  and  one  of  his  moral  firmness 
might  hesitate  to  do  what  he  thinks  wrong  for  a 
boon  so  worthless  as  that  we  offer." 

"  By  the  sou!  of  William  Tell !  should  the  un 
known  peasant  dare But  he  is  a  brave  boy, 

and  twice  has  he  done  the  last  service  to  my  race! 
I  love  him,  Adelheid,  little  less  than  thyself;  and 
we  will  win  him  over  to  our  purpose  gently,  and 
by  degrees.  A  maiden  of  thy  beauty  and  years 
to  say  nothing  of  thy  other  qualities,  thy  name, 
the  lands  of  Willading,  and  the  rights  of  Berne 
are  matters,  after  all,  not  to  be  lightly  refused  by 
a  nameless  soldier  who  hath  naught — " 


168  THE    HEADSMAN. 

"  But  his  courage,  his  virtues,  his  modesty,  a-.ft 
his  excellent  sense,  father !" 

"Thou  wilt  not  let  me  have  the  naked  satisfac 
tion  of  vaunting  my  own  wares !  I  see  Gaetano 
Grimaldi  making  signs  at  his  window,  as  if  he 
were  about  to  come  forth :  go  thou  to  thy  cham 
her,  that  I  may  discourse  of  this  troublesome  mat 
ter  with  that  excellent  friend ;  in  good  season  thou 
shalt  know  the  result." 

Adelheid  kissed  the  hand  that  she  held  in  her 
own,  and  left  him  with  a  thoughtful  air.  As  she 
descended  from  the  terrace,  it  was  not  with  the 
same  elastic  step  as  she  had  come  up  half  an  hour 
before. 

Early  deprived  of  her  mother,  this  strong-mind 
ed  but  delicate  girl  had  long  been  accustomed  to 
make  her  father  a  confidant  of  all  her  hopes, 
thoughts,  and  pictures  of  the  future.  Owing  to 
her  peculiar  circumstances,  she  would  have  had 
less  hesitation  than  is  usual  to  her  sex  in  avowing 
to  her  parent  any  of  her  attachments ;  but  a  dread 
that  the  declaration  might  conduce  to  his  unhappi- 
ness,  without  in  any  manner  favoring  her  own 
cause,  had  hitherto  kept  her  silent.  Her  acquaint 
ance  with  Sigismund  had  been  long  and  intimate. 
Rooted  esteem  and  deep  respect  lay  at  the  bottom 
of  her  sentiments,  which  were,  however,  so  lively 
as  to  have  chased  the  rose  from  her  cheek  in  the 
endeavor  to  forget  them,  and  to  have  led  her  sen 
sitive  father  to  apprehend  that  she  was  suffering 
under  that  premature  decay  which  had  already 
robbed  him  of  his  other  children.  There  was  in 
truth  no  serious  ground  for  this  apprehension,  so 
natural  to  one  in  the  place  of  the  Baron  de  Wil- 
lading ;  for,  until  thought  and  reflection  paled  her 
cheek,  a  more  blooming  maiden  than  Adelheid,  or 
one  that  united  more  perfect  health  with  feminine 
delicacy,  did  not  dwell  among  her  native  moun- 


THE   HEADSMAN.  169 

tains.  She  had  quietly  consented  to  the  Italian 
journey,  in  the  expectation  that  it  might  serve  to 
divert  her  mind  from  brooding  over  what  she  had 
long  considered  hopeless,  and  with  the  natural  de 
sire  to  see  lands  so  celebrated,  but  not  under  any 
mistaken  opinions  of  her  own  situation.  The  pres 
ence  of  Sigismund,  so  far  as  she  was  concerned, 
was  purely  accidental,  although  she  could  not  pre 
vent  the  pleasing  idea  from  obtruding — an  idea  so 
grateful  to  her  womanly  affections  and  maiden 
pride — that  the  young  soldier,  who  was  in  the  ser 
vice  of  Austria,  and  who  had  become  known  to 
her  in  one  of  his  frequent  visits  to  his  native  land, 
had  gladly  seized  this  favorable  occasion  to  return 
to  his  colors.  Circumstances,  which  it  is  not  ne 
cessary  to  recount,  had  enabled  Adelheid  to  make 
the  youth  acquainted  with  her  father,  though  the 
interdictions  of  her  aunt,  whose  imprudence  had 
led  to  the  accident  which  nearly  proved  so  fatal, 
and  from  whose  consequences  she  had  been  saved 
by  Sigismund,  prevented  her  from  explaining  all 
the  causes  she  had  for  showing  him  respect  and 
esteem.  Perhaps  the  manner  in  which  this  young 
and  imaginative  though  sensible  girl  was  compel 
led  to  smother  a  portion  of  her  feelings  gave  them 
intensity,  and  hastened  that  transition  of  sentiment 
from  gratitude  to  affection,  which,  in  another  case, 
might  have  only  been  produced  by  a  more  open 
and  prolonged  association.  As  it  was,  she  scarcely 
Knew  herself  how  irretrievably  her  happiness  was 
bound  up  in  that  of  Sigismund,  though  she  had  so 
long  cherished  his  image  in  most  of  her  day 
dreams,  and  had  unconsciously  admitted  his  influ 
ence  over  her  mind  and  hopes,  until  she  learned 
that  they  were  reciprocated. 

The  Signor  Grimaldi  appeared  on  one  end  of 
the  terrace,  as  Adelheid  de  Willading  descended 
at  the  other.  The  old  nobles  had  separated  late 

P 


170  THE    HEADSMAN. 

on  the  previous  night,  after  a  private  and  confiden 
tial  communication  that  had  shaken  the  soul  of  the 
Italian,  and  drawn  strong  and  sincere  manifesta 
tions  of  sympathy  from  his  friend.  Though  so 
prone  to  sudden  shades  of  melancholy,  there  was 
a  strong  touch  of  the  humorous  in  the  native  char 
acter  of  the  Genoese,  which  came  so  quick  upon 
his  more  painful  recollection,  as  greatly  to  relieve 
their  weight,  and  to  render  him,  in  appearance  at 
least,  a  happy,  while  the  truth  would  have  shown 
that  he  was  a  sorrowing,  man.  He  had  been 
making  his  orisons  with  a  grateful  heart,  and  he 
now  came  forth  into  the  genial  mountain  air,  like 
one  who  had  relieved  his  conscience  of  a  heavy 
debt.  Like  most  laymen  of  the  Catholic  persua 
sion,  he  thought  himself  no  longer  bound  to  main 
tain  a  grave  and  mortified  exterior,  when  worship 
and  penitence  were  duly  observed,  and  he  joined 
his  friend  with  a  cheerfulness  of  air  and  voice  that 
an  ascetic,  or  a  puritan,  might  have  attributed  to 
levity,  after  the  scenes  through  which  he  had  so 
lately  passed. 

"  The  Virgin  and  San  Francesco  keep  thee  in 
mind,  old  friend  !"  said  the  Signer  Grimaldi,  cor 
dially  kissing  the  two  cheeks  of  the  Baron  de 
Willading.  "  We  both  have  reason  to  remembei 
their  care,  though,  heretic  as  thou  art,  I  doubt  not 
thou  hast  already  found  some  other  mediators  to 
thank,  that  we  now  stand  on  this  solid  terrace  of 
the  Signor  de  Blonay,  instead  of  being  worthless 
clay  at  the  bottom  of  yonder  treacherous  lake." 

"  I  thank  God  for  this,  as  for  all  his  mercies — 
for  thy  life,  Gaetano,  as  well  as  for  mine  own." 

"  Thou  art  right,  thou  art  right,  good  Melchior ; 
'twas  no  affair  for  any  but  Him  who  holds  the  uni 
verse  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand,  in  good  faith,  for 
a  minute  later  would  have  gathered  both  with  our 
fathers.  Still  thou  wilt  permit  me,  Catholic  as  I 


THE    HEADSMAN.  171 

am,  to  remember  the  intercessors  on  whom  I  called 
in  the  moment  of  extremity." 

"  This  is  a  subject  on  which  we  have  never 
agreed,  and  on  which  we  probably  never  shall," 
answered  the  Bernese,  with  somewhat  of  the  reserve 
of  one  conscious  of  a  stronger  dissidence  than  he 
wished  to  express,  as  they  turned  and  commenced 
their  walk  up  and  down  the  terrace,  "  though  I 
believe  it  is  the  only  matter  of  difference  that  ever 
existed  between  us." 

"  Is  it  not  extraordinary,"  returned  the  Genoese, 
"  that  men  should  consort  together  in  good  and 
evil,  bleed  for  each  other,  love  each  other,  do  all 
acts  of  kindness  to  each  other,  as  thou  and  I  have 
done,  Melchior,  nay,  be  in  the  last  extremity,  and 
feel  more  agony  for  the  friend  than  for  one's  self, 
and  yet  entertain  such  opinions  of  their  respective 
creeds,  as  to  fancy  the  unbeliever  in  the  devil's 
claws  all  this  time,  and  to  entertain  a  latent  dis 
trust  that  the  very  soul  which,  in  all  other  matters, 
is  deemed  so  noble  and  excellent,  is  to  be  everlast 
ingly  damned  for  the  want  of  certain  opinions  and 
formalities  that  we  ourselves  have  been  taught  to 
think  essential  V9 

"To  tell  thee  the  truth,"  returned  the  Swiss, 
rubbing  his  forehead  like  a  man  who  wished  to 
brighten  up  his  ideas,  as  one  would  brighten  old 
silver,  by  friction ;  "  this  subject,  as  thou  well 
knowest,  is  not  my  strong  side.  Luther  and  Cal 
vin,  with  other  sages,  discovered  that  it  was  weak 
ness  to  submit  to  dogmas,  without  close  exami 
nation,  merely  because  they  were  venerable,  and 
they  winnowed  the  wheat  from  the  chaff.  This 
we  call  a  reform.  It  is  enough  for  me  that  me 
so  wise  were  satisfied  with  their  researches  and 
changes,  and  I  feel  little  inclination  to  disturb  a 
decision  that  has  now  received  the  sanction  of 
nearly  two  centuries  of  practice.  To  be  plain 


172  THE   HEADSMAN. 

with  thee,  I  hold  it  discreet  to  reverence  the 
opinions  of  my  fathers." 

"  Though  it  would  seem  not  of  thy  grandfathers," 
said  the  Italian,  drily,  but  in  perfect  good  humor. 
"  By  San  Francesco  !  thou  wouldst  have  made  a 
worthy  cardinal,  had  chance  brought  thee  into  the 
world  fifty  leagues  farther  south,  or  west,  or  east. 
But  this  is  the  way  with  the  world,  whether  it  be 
your  Turk,  your  Hindoo,  or  your  Lutheran,  and  I 
fear  it  is  much  the  same  with  the  children  of  St. 
Peter  too.  Each  has  his  arguments  for  faith,  or 
politics,  or  any  interest  that  may  be  named,  which 
he  uses  like  a  hammer  to  knock  down  the  bricks 
of  his  opponent's  reasons,  and  when  he  finds  him 
self  in  the  other's  intrenchments,  why  he  gathers 
together  the  scattered  materials  in  order  to  build 
a  wall  for  his  own  protection.  Then  what  was 
oppression  yesterday  is  justifiable  defence  to-day ; 
fanaticism  becomes  logic  ;  and  credulity  and  pliant 
submission  get,  in  two  centuries,  to  be  deference 
to  the  venerable  opinion  of  our  fathers  !  But  let  it 
go — thou  wert  speaking  of  thanking  God,  and  in 
that,  Roman  though  I  am,  I  fervently  and  devoutly 
join  with  or  without  saints'  intercession." 

The  honest  baron  did  not  like  his  friend's  allu 
sions,  though  they  were  much  too  subtle  for  his 
ready  comprehension,  for  the  intellect  of  the  Swiss 
was  a  little  frosted  by  constant  residence  among 
snows  and  in  full  view  of  glaciers,  and  it  wanted 
the  volatile  play  of  the  Genoese's  fancy,  which 
was  apt  to  expand  like  air  rarefied  by  the  warmth 
of  the  sun.  This  difference  of  temperament,  how 
ever,  so  far  from  lessening  their  mutual  kindness, 
was,  most  probably,  the  real  cause  of  its  existence, 
since  it  is  well  known  that  friendship,  like  love,  is 
more  apt  to  be  generated  by  qualities  that  vary  a 
little  from  our  own  than  by  a  perfect  homogeneity 
of  character  and  disposition  which  is  more  liable 


THE  HEADSMAN.  173 

to  give  birth  to  rivalry  and  contention,  than  when 
each  party  has  some  distinct  capital  of  his  own 
on  which  to  adventure,  and  with  which  to  keep 
alive  the  interest  of  him  who,  in  that  particular 
feature,  may  be  but  indifferently  provided.  All 
that  is  required  for  a  perfect  community  of  feeling 
is  a  mutual  recognition  of,  and  a  common  respect 
for,  certain  great  moral  rules,  without  which  there 
can  exist  no  esteem  between  the  upright.  The  al 
liance  of  knaves  depends  on  motives  so  hackneyed 
and  obvious,  that  we  abstain  from  any  illustration 
of  its  principle  as  a  work  of  supererogation.  The 
Signor  Grimaldi  and  Melchior  de  Willading  were 
both  very  upright  and  justly-minded  men,  as  men 
go,  in  intention  at  least,  and  their  opposite  pecu 
liarities  and  opinions  had  served,  during  hot  youth, 
to  keep  alive  the  interest  of  their  communications, 
and  were  not  likely,  now  that  time  had  mellowed 
their  feelings  and  brought  so  many  recollections 
to  strengthen  the  tie,  to  overturn  what  they  had 
been  originally  the  principal  instruments  in  creating. 

"  Of  thy  readiness  to  thank  God,  I  have  never 
doubted,"  answered  the  baron,  when  his  friend  had 
ended  the  remark  just  recorded,  "but  we  know 
that  his  favors  are  commonly  shown  to  us  here 
below  by  means  of  human  instruments.  Ought 
we  not,  therefore,  to  manifest  another  sort  of  grat 
itude  in  favor  of  the  individual  who  was  so  ser 
viceable  in  last  night's  gust  ?" 

"  Thou  meanest  my  untractable  countryman  ?  I 
have  bethought  me  much  since  we  separated  of  his 
singular  refusal,  and  hope  still  to  find  the  means 
of  conquering  his  obstinacy." 

"  I  hope  thou  may'st  succeed,  and  thou  well 

know'st  that  I  am  always  to  be  counted  on  as  an 

auxiliary.     But  he  was  not  in  my  thoughts  at  the 

instant;   there  is  still  another  who  nobly  risked 

P2 


174  THE    HEADSMAN. 

more  than  the  mariner  in  our  behalf,  since  he 
risked  life." 

"  This  is  beyond  question,  and  I  have  already 
reflected  much  on  the  means  of  doing  him  good. 
He  is  a  soldier  of  fortune,  I  learn,  and  if  he  will 
take  service  in  Genoa,  I  will  charge  myself  with 
the  care  of  his  preferment.  Trouble  not  thyself, 
therefore,  concerning  the  fortunes  of  young  Sigis- 
mund ;  thou  knowest  my  means,  and  canst  not 
doubt  my  will." 

The  baron  cleared  his  throat,  for  he  had  a  se 
cret  reluctance  to  reveal  his  own  favorable  inten 
tions  towards  the  young  man,  the  last  lingering 
feeling  of  worldly  pride,  and  the  consequence  of 
prejudices  which  were  then  universal,  and  which 
are  even  now  far  from  being  extinct.  A  vivid  pic 
ture  of  the  horrors  of  the  past  night  luckily  flashed 
across  his  mind,  and  the  good  genius  of  his  young 
preserver  triumphed. 

"  Thou  knowest  the  youth  is  a  Swiss,"  he  said, 
"  and,  in  virtue  of  the  tie  of  country,  I  claim  at 
least  an  equal  right  to  do  him  good." 

"  We  will  not  quarrel  for  precedence  in  this 
matter,  but  thou  wilt  do  well  to  remember  that  I 
possess  especial  means  to  push  his  interests ; — 
means  that  thou  canst  not  by  possibility  use." 

"  That  is  not  proved ;"  interrupted  the  Baron 
de  Willading.  "  I  have  not  thy  particular  station, 
it  is  true,  Signor  Gaetano,  nor  thy  political  power, 
nor  thy  princely  fortune;  but,  poor  as  I  am  in 
these,  there  is  a  boon  in  my  keeping  that  is  worth 
them  all,  and  which  will  be  more  acceptable  to 
the  boy,  or  I  much  mistake  his  mettle,  than  any 
favors  that  thou  hast  named  or  canst  name." 

The  Signor  Grimaldi  had  pursued  his  walk,  with 
eyes  thoughtfully  fastened  on  the  ground ;  but  he 
now  raised  them,  in  surprise,  to  the  countenance 
of  his  friend,  as  if  to  ask  an  explanation.  The 


THE    HEADSMAN.  175 

baion  was  not  only  committed  by  what  had  es 
caped  him,  but  he  was  warming  with  opposition, 
for  the  best  may  frequently  do  very  excellent  things 
under  the  influence  of  motives  of  but  a  very  in 
different  aspect. 

"  Thou  knowest  I  have  a  daughter,"  resumed 
the  Swiss  firmly,  determined  to  break  the  ice  at 
once,  and  expose  a  decision  which  he  feared  his 
friend  might  deem  a  weakness. 

"  Thou  hast ;  and  a  fairer,  or  a  modester,  or  a 
tenderer,  and  yet,  unless  my  judgment  err,  a  firmer 
at  need,  is  not  to  be  found  among  all  the  excellent 
of  her  excellent  sex.  But  thou  wouldst  scarce 
think  of  bestowing  Adelheid  in  reward  for  such  a 
service  on  one  so  little  known,  or  without  her  wishes 
being  consulted  ?" 

"  Girls  of  Adelheid's  birth  and  breeding  are  ever 
ready  to  do  what  is  meet  to  maintain  the  honor  of 
their  families.  I  deem  gratitude  to  be  a  debt  that 
must  not  stand  long  uncaricelled  against  the  name 
of  Willading." 

The  Genoese  looked  grave,  and  it  was  evident 
he  listened  to  his  friend  with  something  like  dis 
pleasure. 

"  We  who  have  so  nearly  passed  through  life, 
good  Melchior,"  he  said,  "  should  know  its  diffi 
culties  and  its  hazards.  The  way  is  weary,  and 
it  has  need  of  all  the  solace  that  affection  and  a 
community  of  feeling  can  yield  to  lighten  its  cares. 
I  have  never  liked  this  heartless  manner  of  traffick 
ing  in  the  tenderest  ties,  to  uphold  a  failing  line  or 
a  failing  fortune ;  and  better  it  were  that  Adelheid 
should  pass  her  days  unwooed  in  thy  ancient  cas 
tle,  than  give  her  hand,  under  any  sudden  impulse 
of  sentiment,  not  less  than  under  a  cold  calcula 
tion  of  interest.  Such  a  girl,  my  friend,  is  not  to 
be  bestowed  without  much  care  and  reflection." 

"  By  the  mass !  to  use  one  of  thine  own  favorite 


176  THE    HEADSMAN. 

oaths,  I  wonder  to  hear  thee  talk  thus ! — tnou,  wmrni 
I  knew  a  hot-blooded  Italian,  jealous  as  a  Turk, 
and  maintaining  at  thy  rapier's  point  that  women 
were  like  the  steel  of  thy  sword,  so  easily  tarnished 
by  rust,  or  evil  breath,  or  neglect,  that  no  fathei 
or  brother  could  be  easy  on  the  score  of  honor, 
until  the  last  of  his  name  was  well  wedded,  and 
that,  too,  to  such  as  the  wisdom  of  her  advisers 
should  choose  !  I  remember  thee  once  saying  thou 
couldst  not  sleep  soundly  till  thy  sister  was  a  wife 
or  a  nun." 

"  This  was  the  language  of  boyhood  and  thought 
less  youth,  and  bitterly  rebuked  have  I  been  for 
having  used  it.  I  wived  a  beauteous  and  noble 
virgin,  de  Willading ;  but  I  much  fear  that,  while 
my  fair  conduct  in  her  behalf  won  her  respect  and 
esteem,  I  was  too  late  to  win  her  love.  It  is  a  fear 
ful  thing  to  enter  on  the  solemn  and  grave  ties  of 
married  life,  without  enlisting  in  the  cause  of  hap 
piness  the  support  of  the  judgment,  the  fancy,  the 
tastes,  with  the  feelings  that  are  dependent  on 
them,  and,  more  than  all,  those  wayward  inclina 
tions,  whose  workings  too  often  baffle  human  fore 
sight.  If  the  hopes  of  the  ardent  and  generous 
themselves  are  deceived  in  the  uncertain  lottery  of 
wedlock,  the  victim  will  struggle  hard  to  maintain 
the  delusion ;  but  when  the  calculations  of  others 
are  parent  to  the  evil,  a  natural  inducement,  that 
comes  of  the  devil  I  fear,  prompts  us  to  aggravate, 
instead  of  striving  to  lessen,  the  evil," 

"  Thou  dost  not  speak  of  wedlock  as  one  who 
found  the  condition  happy,  poor  Gaetano  ?" 

"  I  have  told  thee  what  I  fear  was  but  too  true, 
returned  the  Genoese,  with  a  heavy  sigh.  "  My 
birth,  vast  means,  and  I  trust  a  fair  name,  induced 
the  kinsmen  of  my  wife  to  urge  her  to  a  union, 
that  I  have  since  had  reason  to  fear  her  feelings 
did  not  lead  her  to  form.  I  had  a  terrible  ally  too 


THE    HEADSMAN.  177 

kn  the  acknowledged  unworthiness  of  him  who  had 
captivated  her  young  fancy,  and  whom,  as  age 
brought  reflection,  her  reason  condemned.  I  was 
accepted,  therefore,  as  a  cure  to  a  bleeding  heart 
and  broken  peace,  and  my  office,  at  the  best,  was 
not  such  as  a  good  man  could  desire,  or  a  proud 
man  tolerate.  The  unhappy  Angiolina  died  in  giv 
ing  birth  to  her  first  child,  the  unhappy  son  of 
whom  I  have  told  thee  so  much.  She  found  peace 
at  last  in  the  grave  !" 

"  Thou  hadst  not  time  to  give  thy  manly  tender 
ness  and  noble  qualities  an  opportunity ;  else,  my 
life  on  it,  she  would  have  come  to  love  thee,  Gae- 
tano,  as  all  love  thee  who  know  thee !"  returned 
the  baron,  warmly. 

"  Thanks,  my  kind  friend ;  but  beware  of  ma 
king  marriage  a  mere  convenience.  There  may 
be  folly  in  calling  each  truant  inclination  that  deep 
sentiment  and  secret  sympathy  which  firmly  knits 
heart  to  heart,  and  doubtless  a  common  fortune 
may  bind  the  worldly-minded  together ;  but  this  is 
not  the  holy  union  which  keeps  noble  qualities  in  a 
family,  and  which  fortifies  against  the  seductions 
of  a  world  that  is  already  too  strong  for  honesty. 
I  remember  to  have  heard  from  one  that  under 
stood  his  fellow-creatures  well,  that  marriages  of 
mere  propriety  tend  to  rob  woman  of  her  greatest 
charm,  that  of  superiority  to  the  vulgar  feeling  of 
worldly  calculations,  and  that  all  communities  in 
which  they  prevail  become,  of  necessity,  selfish 
beyond  the  natural  limits,  and  eventually  corrupt" 

"  This  may  be  true ;— but  Adelheid  loves  the 
youth." 

"  Ha!  This  changes  the  complexion  of  the  affair 
How  dost  thou  know  this  ?" 

"  From  her  own  lips.  The  secret  escaped  her, 
under  the  warmth  and  sincerity  of  feeling  that  the 
'ate  events  so  naturally  excited." 


178  THE    HEADSMAN. 

"  And  Sigismund ! — he  has  thy  approbation  ? — • 
for  I  will  not  suppose  that  one  like  thy  daughter 
yielded  her  affections  unsolicited." 

"  He  has — that  is — he  has.  There  is  what  the 
world  will  be  apt  to  call  an  obstacle,  but  it  shall 
count  for  nothing  with  me.  The  youth  is  not 
noble." 

"  The  objection  is  serious,  my  honest  friend.  It 
is  not  wise  to  tax  human  infirmity  too  much,  where 
there  is  sufficient  to  endure  from  causes  that  can 
not  be  removed.  Wedlock  is  a  precarious  experi 
ment,  and  all  unusual  motives  for  disgust  should 
be  cautiously  avoided. — I  would  he  were  noble." 

"  The  difficulty  shall  be  removed  by  the  Empe 
ror's  favor.  Thou  hast  princes  in  Italy,  too,  that 
might  be  prevailed  on  to  do  us  this  grace,  at  need  ?" 

"  What  is  the  youth's  origin  and  history,  and  by 
what  means  has  a  daughter  of  thine  been  placed 
in  a  situation  to  love  one  that  is  simply  born  ?" 

"  Sigismund  is  a  Swiss,  and  of  a  family  of  Ber 
nese  burghers,  I  should  think,  though,  to  confess 
the  truth,  I  know  little  more  than  that  he  has  pass 
ed  several  years  in  foreign  service,  and  that  he 
saved  my  daughter's  life  from  one  of  our  moun 
tain  accidents,  some  two  years  since,  as  he  has 
now  saved  thine  and  mine.  My  sister,  near  whose 
castle  the  acquaintance  commenced,  permitted  the 
intercourse,  which  it  would  now  be  too  late  to 
think  of  prohibiting.  And,  to  speak  honestly,  I  be 
gin  to  rejoice  the  boy  is  what  he  is,  in  order  that 
our  readiness  to  receive  him  to  our  arms  may  be 
the  more  apparent.  If  the  young  fellow  were  the 
equal  of  Adelheid  in  other  things,  as  he  is  in  per 
son  and  character,  he  would  have  too  much  in  his 
favor. — No,  by  the  faith  of  Calvin  ! — him  whom 
thou  stylest  a  heretic — I  think  I  rejoice  that  the 
boy  is  not  noble !" 

"  Have  it  as  thou  wilt,"  returned  the  Genoese 


THE    HEADSMAN.  179 

whose  countenance  continued  to  express  distrust 
and  thought,  for  his  own  experience  had  made  him 
wary  on  the  subject  of  doubtful  or  ill-assorted  alli 
ances;  "  let  his  origin  be  what  it  may,  he  shall  not 
need  gold.  I  charge  myself  with  seeing  that  the 
lands  of  Willading  shall  be  fairly  balanced :  and 
here  comes  our  hospitable  host  to  be  witness  of 
the  pledge." 

Roger  de  Blonay  advanced  upon  the  terrace  to 
greet  his  guests,  as  the  Signor  Grimaldi  concluded. 
The  three  old  men  continued  their  walk  for  an  hour 
longer,  discussing  the  fortunes  of  the  young  pair, 
for  Melchior  de  Willading  was  as  little  disposed 
to  make  a  secret  of  his  intentions  with  one  of  his 
friends  as  with  the  other. 


CHAPTER  X. 

But  I  have  not  the  time  to  pause 

Upon  these  gewgaws  of  the  heart 

WERNER. 

THOUGH  the  word  castle  is  of  common  use  in 
Europe,  as  applied  to  ancient  baronial  edifices,  the 
thing  itself  is  very  different  in  style,  extent,  and 
cost,  in  different  countries.  Security,  united  to 
dignity  and  the  means  of  accommodating  a  train 
of  followers  suited  to  the  means  of  the  noble,  being 
the  common  object,  the  position  and  defences  of 
the  place  necessarily  varied  according  to  the  gen 
eral  aspect  of  the  region  in  which  it  stood.  Thus 
ditches  and  other  broad  expanses  of  water  were 
much  depended  on  in  all  low  countries,  as  in  Flan 
ders,  Holland,  parts  of  Germany,  and  much  of 
France ;  while  hills,  spurs  of  mountains,  and  more 
especially  the  summits  of  conical  rocks,  were 
sought  in  Switzerland,  Italy,  and  wherever  else 


180  THE    HEADSMAN. 

these  natural  means  of  protection  could  readily  bo 
.•"ound.  Other  circumstances,  such  as  climate 
wealth,  the  habits  of  a  people,  and  the  nature  ol 
the  feudal  rights,  also  served  greatly  to  modify  the 
appearance  and  extent  of  the  building.  The  ancienl 
hold  in  Switzerland  was  originally  little  more  than 
a  square  solid  tower,  perched  upon  a  rock,  with 
turrets  at  its  angles.  Proof  against  fire  from  with 
out,  it  had  ladders  to  mount  from  floor  to  floor 
and  often  contained  its  beds  in  the  deep  recesses  of 
the  windows,  or  in  alcoves  wrought  in  the  massive 
wall.  As  greater  security  or  greater  means  enabled, 
offices  and  constructions  of  more  importance  arose 
around  its  base,  inclosing  a  court.  These  neces 
sarily  followed  the  formation  of  the  rock,  until,  in 
time,  the  confused  and  inartificial  piles,  which  are 
now  seen  mouldering  on  so  many  of  the  minor 
spurs  of  the  Alps,  were  created. 

As  is  usual  in  all  ancient  holds,  the  Rittersaal — 
tne  Salle  des  Chevaliers — or  the  knights'  hall,  of 
Blonay,  as  it  is  differently  called  in  different  lan 
guages,  was  both  the  largest  and  the  most  labo 
riously  decorated  apartment  of  the  edifice.  It  was 
no  longer  in  the  rude  gaol-like  keep  that  grew,  as 
it  were,  from  the  living  rock,  on  which  it  had  been 
reared  with  so  much  skill  as  to  render  it  difficult  to 
ascertain  where  nature  ceased  and  art  commenced ; 
but  it  had  been  transferred,  a  century  before  the 
occurrences  related  in  our  tale,  to  a  more  modern 
portion  of  the  buildings  that  formed  the  south-east 
ern  angle  of  the  whole  construction.  The  room 
was  spacious,  square,  simple,  for  such  is  the  fashion 
of  the  country,  and  lighted  by  windows  that  looked 
on  one  side  towards  Valais,  and  on  the  other  over 
the  whole  of  the  irregular,  but  lovely  declivity,  to 
the  margin  of  the  Leman,  and  along  that  beautiful 
sheet,  embracing  hamlet,  village,  city,  castle,  and 
purple  mountain,  until  the  view  was  limited  by  the 


THE   HEADSMAN.  181 

hazy  Jura.  The  window  on  the  latter  side  of  the 
knights'  hall,  had  an  iron  balcony  at  a  giddy  height 
from  the  ground,  and  in  this  airy  look-out  Adel- 
heid  had  taken  her  seat,  when,  after  quitting  her 
father,  she  mounted  to  the  apartment  common  to 
nil  the  guests  of  the  castle. 

We  have  already  alluded  generally  to  the  per 
sonal  appearance  and  to  the  moral  qualities  of  the 
Baron  de  Willading's  daughter,  but  we  now  con 
ceive  it  necessary  to  make  the  reader  more  inti 
mately  acquainted  with  one  who  is  destined  to  act 
no  mean  part  in  the  incidents  of  our  tale.  It  has 
been  said  that  she  was  pleasing  to  the  eye,  but  her 
beauty  was  of  a  kind  that  depended  more  on  ex 
pression,  on  a  union  of  character  with  feminine 
grace,  than  on  the  vulgar  lines  of  regularity  and 
symmetry.  While  she  had  no  feature  that  was  de 
fective,  she  had  none  that  wras  absolutely  faultless, 
though  all  were  combined  with  so  much  harmony, 
and  the  soft  expression  of  the  mild  blue  eye  accord 
ed  so  well  with  the  gentle  play  of  a  sweet  mouth, 
that  the  soul  of  their  owner  seemed  ready  at  all 
times  to  appear  through  these  ingenuous  tell-tales 
of  her  thoughts.  Still,  maidenly  reserve  sate  in 
constant  watch  over  all,  and  it  was  when  the  spec 
tator  thought  himself  most  in  communion  with  her 
spirit,  that  he  most  felt  its  pure  and  correcting  in 
fluence.  Perhaps  a  cast  of  high  intelligence,  of  a 
natural  power  to  discriminate,  which  much  sur 
passed  the  limited  means  accorded  to  females  of 
that  age,  contributed  their  share  to  hold  those  near 
her  in  respect,  and  served  in  some  degree  as  a  mild 
and  wise  repellant,  to  counteract  the  attractions  of 
her  gentleness  and  candor.  In  short,  one  cast  un 
expectedly  in  her  society  would  not  have  been 
slow  to  infer,  and  he  would  have  decided  correct 
ly,  that  Adelheid  de  Willading  was  a  girl  of  warm 
and  *°nder  affections,  of  a  playful  but  regulated 
Q 


182  THE    HEADSMAN. 

fancy,  of  a  firm  and  lofty  sense  of  all  her  duties^ 
whether  natural  or  merely  the  result  of  social  ob 
ligations,  of  melting  pity,  and  yet  of  a  habit  and 
quality  to  think  and  act  for  herself,  in  all  those 
cases  in  which  it  was  fitting  for  a  maiden  of  her 
condition  and  years  to  assume  such  self-control. 

It  was  now  more  than  a  year  since  Adelheid  had 
become  fully  sensible  of  the  force  of  her  attach 
ment  for  Sigismund  Steinbach,  and  during  all  that 
time  she  had  struggled  hard  to  overcome  a  feeling 
which  she  believed  could  lead  to  no  happy  result. 
The  declaration  of  the  young  man  himself,  a  decla 
ration  that  was  extorted  involuntarily  and  in  a 
moment  of  powerful  passion,  was  accompanied  by 
an  admission  of  its  uselessness  and  folly,  and  it 
first  opened  her  eyes  to  the  state  of  her  own  feel 
ings.  Though  she  had  listened,  as  all  of  her  sex  will 
listen,  even  when  the  passion  is  hopeless,  to  such 
words  coming  from  lips  they  love,  it  was  with  a 
self-command  that  enabled  her  to  retain  her  own 
secret,  and  with  a  settled  and  pious  resolution  to 
do  that  which  she  believed  to  be  her  duty  to  her 
self,  to  her  father,  and  to  Sigismund.  From  that 
hour  she  ceased  to  see  him,  unless  under  circum 
stances  when  it  would  have  drawn  suspicion  on  her 
motives  to  refuse,  and  while  she  never  appeared  to 
forget  her  heavy  obligations  to  the  youth,  she  firm 
ly  denied  herself  the  pleasure  of  even  mentioning 
his  name  when  it  could  be  avoided.  But  of  all 
ungrateful  and  reluctant  tasks,  that  of  striving  to 
forget  is  the  least  likely  to  succeed.  Adelheid  was 
sustained  only  by  her  sense  of  duty  and  the  desire 
not  to  disappoint  her  father's  wishes,  to  which  habit 
and  custom  had  given  nearly  the  force  of  law  with 
maidens  of  her  condition,  though  her  reason  and 
judgment  no  less  than  her  affections  were  both 
strongly  enlisted  on  the  other  side.  Indeed,  with 
the  single  exception  of  the  general  unfitness  of  a 


THE    HEADSMAN.  183 

union  between  two  of  unequal  stations,  there  was 
nothing  to  discredit  her  choice,  if  that  may  be 
termed  choice  which,  after  all,  was  more  the  result 
of  spontaneous  feeling  and  secret  sympathy  than  of 
any  other  cause,  unless  it  were  a  certain  equivo 
cal  reserve,  and  a  manifest  uneasiness,  whenevei 
allusion  was  made  to  the  early  history  and  to  th 
family  of  the  soldier.  This  sensitiveness  on  the 
part  of  Sigismund  had  been  observed  and  com 
mented  on  by  others  as  well  as  by  herself,  and  it 
had  been  openly  ascribed  to  the  mortification  of 
one  who  had  been  thrown,  by  chance,  into  an  in 
timate  association  that  was  much  superior  to  what 
he  was  entitled  to  maintain  by  birth ;  a  weakness 
but  too  common,  and  which  few  have  strength  of 
mind  to  resist  or  sufficient  pride  to  overcome. 
The  intuitive  watchfulness  of  affection,  however, 
led  Adelheid  to  a  different  conclusion;  she  saw 
that  he  never  affected  to  conceal,  while  with  equal 
good  taste  he  abstained  from  obtrusive  allusions  to 
the  humble  nature  of  his  origin,  but  she  also  per 
ceived  that  there  were  points  of  his  previous  his 
tory  on  which  he  was  acutely  sensitive,  and  which 
at  first  she  feared  must  be  attributed  to  the  con 
sciousness  of  acts  that  his  clear  perception  of  moral 
truth  condemned,  and  which  he  could  wish  forgot 
ten.  For  some  time  Adelheid  clung  to  this  dis 
covery  as  to  a  healthful  and  proper  antidote  to  her 
own  truant  inclinations,  but  native  rectitude  banish 
ed  a  suspicion  which  had  no  sufficient  ground,  as 
equally  unworthy  of  them  both.  The  effects  of  a 
ceaseless  mental  struggle,  and  of  the  fruitlessness 
of  her  efforts  to  overcome  her  tenderness  in  behalf 
of  Sigismund,  have  been  described  in  the  fading  of 
her  bloom,  in  the  painful  solicitude  of  a  counte 
nance  naturally  so  sweet,  and  in  the  settled  mel 
ancholy  of  her  playful  and  mellow  eye.  These 
were  the  real  causes  of  the  journey  undertaken  by 


184  THE    HEADSMAN. 

her  father,  and,  in  truth,  of  most  of  the  other 
events  which  we  are  about  to  describe. 

The  prospect  of  the  future  had  undergone  a 
sudden  change.  The  color,  though  more  the  ef 
fect  of  excitement  than  of  returning  health — for 
he  tide  of  life,  when  rudely  checked,  does  not  re 
sume  its  currents  at  the  first  breath  of  happiness — 
again  brightened  her  cheek  and  imparted  brillian 
cy  to  her  looks,  and  smiles  stole,  easily  to  those 
lips  which  had  long  been  growing  pallid  with  anx 
iety.  She  leaned  forward  from  the  balcony,  and 
never  before  had  the  air  of  her  native  mountains 
seemed  so  balmy  and  healing.  At  that  moment 
the  subject  of  her  thoughts  appeared  on  the  ver 
dant  declivity,  among  the  luxuriant  nut-trees  that 
shade  the  natural  lawn  of  Blonay.  He  saluted  her 
respectfully,  and  pointed  to  the  glorious  panorama 
of  the  Leman,  The  heart  of  Adelheid  beat  vio 
lently  ;  she  struggled  for  an  instant  with  her  fears 
and  her  pride,  and  then,  for  the  first  time  in  her 
life,  she  made  a  signal  that  she  wished  him  to  join 
her. 

Notwithstanding  the  important  service  that  the 
young  soldier  had  rendered  to  the  daughter  of  the 
Baron  de  Willading,  and  the  long  intimacy  which 
had  been  its  fruit,  so  great  had  been  the  reserve 
she  had  hitherto  maintained,  by  placing  a  constant 
restraint  on  her  inclinations,  though  the  simple  usa 
ges  of  Switzerland  permitted  greater  familiarity  of 
intercourse  than  was  elsewhere  accorded  to  maid 
ens  of  rank,  that  Sigismund  at  first  stood  rooted  to 
the  ground,  for  he  could  not  imagine  the  waving 
of  the  hand  was  meant  for  him.  Adelheid  saw 
his  embarrassment,  and  the  signal  was  repeated. 
The  young  man  sprang  up  the  acclivity  with  the 
rapidity  of  the  wind,  and  disappeared  behind  the 
walls  of  the  castle. 

The  barrier  of  reserve,  so  long  and  so  success- 


THE    HEADSMAN.  185 

fully  observed  by  Adelheid,  was  now  passed,  and 
she  felt  as  if  a  few  short  minutes  must  decide  her 
fate.  The  necessity  of  making  a  wide  circuit  in 
order  to  enter  the  court  still  afforded  a  little  time 
for  reflection,  however,  and  this  she  endeavored  to 
improve  by  collecting  her  thoughts  and  recover 
ing  her  self-possession. 

When  Sigismund  entered  the  knights'  hall,  he 
found  the  maiden  still  seated  near  the  open  window 
of  the  balcony,  pale  and  serious,  but  perfectly 
cairn,  and  wTith  such  an  expression  of  radiant  hap 
piness  in  her  countenance  as  he  had  not  seen  reign 
ing  in  those  sweet  lineaments  for  many  painful 
months.  The  first  feeling  was  that  of  pleasure  at 
perceiving  how  well  she  bore  the  alarms  and  dan 
gers  of  the  past  night.  This  pleasure  he  expressed, 
with  the  frankness  admitted  by  the  habits  of  the 
Germans. 

"  Thou  wilt  not  suffer,  Adelheid,  by  the  exposure 
on  the  lake!"  he  said,  studying  her  face  until  the 
tell-tale  blood  stole  to  her  very  temples. 

"  Agitation  of  the  mind  is  a  good  antidote  to  the 
consequences  of  bodily  exposure.  So  far  from 
suffering  by  what  has  passed,  I  feel  stronger  to-day 
and  better  able  to  endure  fatigue,  than  at  any  time 
since  we  came  through  the  gates  of  Willading. 
This  balmy  air,  to  me,  seems  Italy,  and  I  see  no 
necessity  to  journey  farther  in  search  of  what  they 
said  was  necessary  to  my  health,  agreeable  objects 
and  a  generous  sun." 

"  You  will  not  cross  the  St.  Bernard  1"  he  ex 
claimed  in  a  tone  of  disappointment, 

Adelheid  smiled,  and  he  felt  encouraged,  though 
the  smile  was  ambiguous.  Notwithstanding  the 
really  noble  sincerity  of  the  maiden's  disposition, 
and  her  earnest  desire  to  set  his  heart  at  ease,  na 
ture,  or  habit,  or  education,  for  we  scarcely  know 


186  THE    HEADSMAN. 

to  which  the  weakness  ought  to  be  ascribed,  tempt, 
ed  her  to  avoid  a  direct  explanation. 

"  Why  need  one  desire  aught  that  is  more  love 
ly  than  this  ?"  she  answered,  evasively.  "  Here  is 
a  warm  air,  such  a  scene  as  Italy  can  scarcely 
surpass,  and  a  friendly  roof.  The  experience  of 
the  last  twenty-four  hours  gives  little  encourage 
ment  for  attempting  the  St.  Bernard,  notwithstand 
ing  the  fair  promises  of  hospitality  and  welcome 
that  have  been  so  liberally  held  out  by  the  good 
canon." 

"  Thy  eye  contradicts  thy  tongue,  Adelheid ;  thou 
art  happy  and  well  enough  to  use  pleasantry  to 
day.  For  heaven's  sake,  do  not  neglect  to  profit 
by  this  advantage,  however,  under  a  mistaken 
opinion  that  Blonay  is  the  well-sheltered  Pisa. 
When  the  winter  shall  arrive,  thou  wilt  see  that 
these  mountains  are  still  the  icy  Alps,  and  the 
winds  will  whistle  through  this  crazy  castle,  as 
they  are  wont  to  sing  in  the  naked  corridors  of 
Willading." 

"  We  have  time  before  us,  and  can  think  of  this. 
Thou  wilt  proceed  to  Milan,  no  doubt,  as  soon  as 
the  revels  of  Vevey  are  ended." 

"  The  soldier  has  little  choice  but  duty.  My  long 
and  frequent  leaves  of  absence  of  late, — leaves 
that  have  been  liberally  granted  to  me  on  account 
of  important  family-concerns, — impose  an  addition 
al  obligation  to  be  punctual,  that  I  may  not  seern 
forgetful  of  favors  already  enjoyed.  Although  we 
all  owe  a  heavy  debt  to  nature,  our  voluntary  engage- 
ments  have  ever  seemed  to  me  the  most  serious." 

Adelheid  listened  with  breathless  attention. 
Never  before  had  he  uttered  the  word  family,  in 
reference  to  himself,  in  her  presence.  The  allu 
sion  appeared  to  have  created  unpleasant  recollec 
tions  in  the  mind  of  the  young  man  himself,  for 
when  he  ceased  to  speak  his  countenance  fell,  and 


THE    HEADSMAN.  187 

he  even  appeared  to  be  fast  forgetting  the  presence 
of  his  fair  companion.  The  latter  turned  sensi 
tively  from  a  subject  which  she  saw  gave  him 
pain,  and  endeavored  to  call  his  thoughts  to  other 
things.  By  an  unforeseen  fatality,  the  very  expe 
dient  adopted  hastened  the  explanation  she  would 
now  have  given  so  much  to  postpone. 

"My  father  has  often  extolled  the  site  of  the 
Baron  de  Blonay's  castle,"  said  Adelheid,  gazing 
from  the  window,  though  all  the  fair  objects  of  the 
view  floated  unheeded  before  her  eyes:  "but,  un 
til  now,  I  have  always  suspected  that  friendly  feel 
ing  had  a  great  influence  on  his  descriptions." 

"You  did  him  injustice  then,"  answered  Sigis- 
mund,  advancing  to  the  opening:  "of  all  the  an 
cient  holds  of  Switzerland,  Blonay  is  perhaps  enti 
tled  to  the  palm,  for  possessing  the  fairest  site. 
Regard  yon  treacherous  lake,  Adelheid  !  Can  we 
fancy  that  sleeping  mirror  the  same  boiling  caul 
dron  on  which  we  were  so  lately  tossed,  helpless 
and  nearly  hopeless  ?" 

"  Hopeless,  Sigismund,  but  for  thee  !" 

"  Thou  forgett'st  the  daring  Italian,  without 
whose  coolness  and  skill  we  must  indeed  have  ir 
redeemably  perished." 

"  And  what  would  it  be  to  me  if  the  worthless 
bark  were  saved,  while  my  father  and  his  friend 
were  abandoned  to  the  frightful  fate  that  befell  the 
patron  and  that  unhappy  peasant  of  Berne  !" 

The  pulses  of  the  young  man  beat  high,  for  there 
was  a  tenderness  in  the  tones  of  Adelheid  to  which 
he  was  unaccustomed,  and  which,  indeed,  he  had 
never  before  discovered  in  her  voice. 

"  I  will  go  seek  this  brave  mariner,"  he  said, 
trembling  lest  his  self-command  should  be  again 
lost  by  the  seductions  of  such  a  communion  : — "  i( 
is  time  he  had  more  substantial  proofs  of  our 
gratitude." 


i88  THE    HEADSMAN. 

"  No,  Sigismund,"  returned  the  maiden  firmly, 
und  in  a  way  to  chain  him  to  the  spot,  "  thou  must 
riot  quit  me  yet. — I  have  much  to  say — much  that 
touches  my  future  happiness,  and,  I  am  perhaps 
weak  enough  to  believe,  thine." 

Sigismund  was  bewildered,  for  the  manner  of 
his  companion,  though  the  color  went  and  came 
in  sudden  and  bright  flashes  across  her  pure  brows, 
was  miraculously  calm  and  full  of  dignity.  He 
took  the  seat  to  which  she  silently  pointed,  and  sat 
motionless  as  if  carved  in  stone,  his  faculties  ab 
sorbed  in  the  single  sense  of  hearing.  Adelheid 
saw  that  the  crisis  was  arrived,  and  that  retreat, 
without  an  appearance  of  levity  that  her  charac 
ter  and  pride  equally  forbade,  was  impossible.  The 
inbred  and  perhaps  the  inherent  feelings  of  her  sex 
would  now  have  caused  her  again  to  avoid  the  ex 
planation,  at  least  as  coming  from  herself,  but  that 
she  was  sustained  by  a  high  and  holy  motive. 

"  Thou  must  find  great  delight,  Sigismund,  in 
reflecting  on  thine  own  good  acts  to  others.  But 
for  thee  Melchior  de  Willading  would  have  long 
since  been  childless  ;  and  but  for  thee  his  daughter 
would  now  be  an  orphan.  The  knowledge  that 
thou  hast  had  the  power  and  the  will  to  succor 
thy  friends  must  be  worth  all  other  knowledge !" 

"  As  connected  with  thee,  Adelheid,  it  is,"  he 
answered  in  a  low  voice  :  "  I  would  not  exchange 
the  secret  happiness  of  having  been  of  this  use  to 
thee,  and  to  those  thou  lovest,  for  the  throne  of  the 
powerful  prince  I  serve.  I  have  had  my  secret 
wrested  from  me  already,  and  it  is  vain  attempting 
to  deny  it,  if  I  would.  Thou  knowest  I  love  thee ; 
and,  in  spite  of  myself,  my  heart  cherishes  the 
weakness.  I  rather  rejoice,  than  dread,  to  say, 
that  it  will  cherish  it  until  it  cease  to  feel.  This 
is  more  than  I  ever  intended  to  repeat  to  thy  mod 
est  ears,  which  ought  not  to  be  wounded  by  idle 


THE   HEADSMAN.  189 

declarations  like  these,  but — thou  smilest — Adel- 
heid ! — can  thy  gentle  spirit  mock  at  a  hopeless 
passion !" 

"  Why  should  my  smile  mean  mockery  ?" 

"  Adelheid  ! — nay — this  never  can  be.  One  of 
my  birth — my  ignoble,  nameless  origin,  cannot 
even  intimate  his  wishes,  with  honor,  to  a  lady 
of  thy  name  and  expectations  !" 

"  Sigismund,  it  can  be.  Thou  hast  not  well  cal 
culated  either  the  heart  of  Adelheid  de  Willading, 
or  the  gratitude  of  her  father." 

The  young  man  gazed  earnestly  at  the  face  of 
the  maiden,  which,  now  that  she  had  disburthened 
her  soul  of  its  most  secret  thought,  reddened  to 
the  temples,  more  however  with  excitement  than 
with  shame,  for  she  met  his  ardent  look  with  the 
mild  confidence  of  innocence  and  affection.  She 
believed,  and  she  had  every  reason  so  to  believe, 
that  her  words  would  give  pleasure,  and,  with  the 
jealous  watchfulness  of  true  love,  she  would  not 
willingly  let  a  single  expression  of  happiness  es 
cape  her.  But,  instead  of  the  brightening  eye, 
and  the  sudden  expression  of  joy  that  she  expected, 
the  young  man  appeared  overwhelmed  with  feelings 
of  a  very  opposite,  and  indeed  of  the  most  painful, 
character.  His  breathing  was  difficult,  his  look 
wandered,  and  his  lips  were  convulsed.  He  passed 
his  hand  across  his  brow,  like  a  man  in  intense 
agony,  and  a  cold  perspiration  broke  out,  as  by  a 
dreadful  inward  working  of  the  spirit,  upon  his 
forehead  and  temples,  in  large  visible  drops. 

"Adelheid  —  dearest  Adelheid  —  thou  knowest 
not  what  thou  sayest ! — One  like  me  can  never 
become  thy  husband." 

"  Sigismund ! — why  this  distress  ?  Speak  to  me 
— ease  thy  mind  by  words.  I  swear  to  thee  that 
the  consent  of  my  father  is  accompanied  on  my 


190  THE    HEADSMAN. 

part  by  a  willing  heart.     I  love  thee,  Sigismund — 
\vouldst  thou  have  me — can  I  say  more  ?" 

The  young  man  gazed  at  her  incredulously,  anct 
then,  as  thought  became  more  clear,  as  one  regards 
a  much-prized  object  that  is  hopelessly  lost.  He 
shook  his  head  mournfully,  and  buried  his  face  in 
his  hands. 

"Say  no  more,  Adelheid — for  my  sake — for 
thine  own  sake,  say  no  more — in  mercy,  be  silent ! 
Thou  never  canst  be  mine — No,  no — honor  forbids 
it ;  in  thee  it  would  be  madness,  in  me  dishonor 
— we  can  never  be  united.  What  fatal  weakness 
has  kept  me  near  thee — I  have  long  dreaded  this — " 

"  Dreaded  !" 

"  Nay,  do  not  repeat  my  words, — for  I  scarce 
know  what  I  say.  Thou  and  thy  father  have 
yielded,  in  a  moment  of  vivid  gratitude,  to  a  gen 
erous,  a  noble  impulse — but  it  is  not  for  me  to  pro 
fit  by  the  accident  that  has  enabled  me  to  gain  this 
advantage.  What  would  all  of  thy  blood,  all  of 
the  republic  say,  Adelheid,  were  the  noblest  born, 
the  best  endowed,  the  fairest,  gentlest,  best  maiden 
of  the  canton,  to  wed  a  nameless,  houseless,  soldier 
of  fortune,  who  has  but  his  sword  and  some  gifts 
of  nature  to  recommend  him  ?  Thy  excellent  father 
vill  surely  think  better  of  this,  and  we  will  speak 
of  it  no  more  !" 

"  Were  I  to  listen  to  the  common  feelings  of  my 
sex,  Sigismund,  this  reluctance  to  accept  what 
both  my  father  and  myself  offer  might  cause  me 
to  feign  displeasure.  But,  between  thee  and  me, 
.here  shall  be  naught  but  holy  truth.  My  father 
has  well  weighed  all  these  objections,  and  he  has 
generously  decided  to  forget  them.  As  for  me, 
placed  in  the  scale  against  thy  merits,  they  have 
never  weighed  at  all.  If  thou  canst  not  become 
noble  in  order  that  we  may  be  equals,  I  shall  find 
more  happiness  in  descending  to  thy  level,  than  by 


THE    HEADSMAN.  1U1 

living  in  heartless  misery  at  the  vain  height  where 
I  have  been  placed  by  accident." 

"  Blessed,  ingenuous  girl ! — But  what  does  it  all 
avail  ?  Our  marriage  is  impossible." 

"  If  thou  knowest  of  any  obstacle  that  would 
render  it  improper  for  a  weak,  but  virtuous  girl — " 

"Hold,  Adelheid! — do  not  finish  the  sentence. 
I  am  sufficiently  humbled — sufficiently  debased — 
without  this  cruel  suspicion." 

"  Then  why  is  our  union  impossible — when  my 
father  not  only  consents,  but  wishes  it  may  take 
place?" 

"  Give  me  time  for  thought — thou  shalt  know 
all,  Adelheid,  sooner  or  later.  Yes,  this  is,  at  the 
least,  due  to  thy  noble  frankness.  Thou  shouldst 
in  justice  have  known  it  long  before." 

Adelheid  regarded  him  in  speechless  apprehen 
sion,  for  the  evident  and  violent  physical  struggles 
of  the  young  man  too  fearfully  announced  the 
mental  agony  he  endured.  The  color  had  fled 
from  her  own  face,  in  which  the  beauty  of  expres 
sion  now  reigned  undisputed  mistress ;  but  it  was 
the  expression  of  the  mingled  sentiments  of  won 
der,  dread,  tenderness,  and  alarm.  He  saw  that 
his  own  sufferings  were  fast  communicating  them 
selves  to  his  companion,  and,  by  a  powerful  effort, 
he  so  far  mastered  his  emotions  as  to  regain  a  por 
tion  of  his  self-command. 

"  This  explanation  has  been  too  heedlessly  de 
layed,"  he  continued :  "  cost  what  it  may,  it  shall 
be  no  longer  postponed.  Thou  wilt  not  accuse  me 
of  cruelty,  or  of  dishonest  silence,  but  remember 
the  failing  of  human  nature,  and  pity  rather  than 
blame  a  weakness  which  may  be  the  cause  of  as 
much  future  sorrow  to  thyself,  beloved  Adelheid, 
as  it  is  now  of  bitter  regret  to  me.  I  have  nevei 
concealed  from  thee  that  my  birth  is  derived  from 
that  class  which  throughout  Europe,  is  believed 


192  THE    HEADSMAN. 

to  be  of  inferior  rights  to  thine  own ;  on  this  head, 
I  am  proud  rather  than  humble,  for  the  invidious 
distinctions  of  usage  have  too  often  provoked 
comparisons,  and  I  have  been  in  situations  to  know 
that  the  mere  accidents  of  descent  bestow  neither 
personal  excellence,  superior  courage,  nor  higher 
intellect.  Though  human  inventions  may  serve  to 
depress  the  less  fortunate,  God  has  given  fixed  lim 
its  to  the  means  of  men.  He  that  would  be  greater 
than  his  kind,  and  illustrious  by  unnatural  expe 
dients,  must  debase  others  to  attain  his  end.  By 
different  means  than  these  there  is  no  nobility,  and 
he  who  is  unwilling  to  admit  an  inferiority  which 
exists  only  in  idea  can  never  be  humbled  by  an 
artifice  so  shallow.  On  the  subject  of  mere  birth, 
as  it  is  ordinarily  estimated,  whether  it  come  from 
pride,  or  philosophy,  or  the  habit  of  commanding 
as  a  soldier  those  who  might  be  deemed  my  supe 
riors  as  men,  I  have  never  been  very  sensitive. 
Perhaps  the  heavier  disgrace  which  crushes  me 
may  have  caused  this  want  to  appear  lighter  than 
it  otherwise  might." 

"  Disgrace !"  repeated  Adelheid,  in  a  voice  that 
was  nearly  choked.  "  The  word  is  fearful,  com 
ing  from  one  of  thy  regulated  mind,  and  as  applied 
to  himself." 

"  I  cannot  choose  another.  Disgrace  it  is  by 
the  common  consent  of  men — by  long  and  endu 
ring  opinion — it  would  almost  seem  by  the  just 
judgment  of  God.  Dost  thou  not  believe,  Adel 
heid,  that  there  are  certain  races  which  are  deem 
ed  accursed,  to  answer  some  great  and  unseen 
end — races  on  whom  the  holy  blessings  of  Heaven 
never  descend,  as  they  visit  the  meek  and  well- 
deserving  that  come  of  other  lines !" 

"  How  can  I  believe  this  gross  injustice,  on  the 
part  of  a  Power  that  is  wise  without  bounds,  and 
forgiving  to  parental  love?" 


THE   HEADSMAKT.  193 

"  Thy  answer  would  be  well,  were  this  earth 
the  universe,  or  this  state  of  being  the  last.  But 
he  whose  sight  extends  beyond  the  grave,  who 
fashions  justice,  and  mercy,  and  goodness,  on  a 
scale  commensurate  with  his  own  attributes,  and 
not  according  to  our  limited  means,  is  not  to  be 
estimated  by  the  narrow  rules  that  we  apply  to 
men.  No,  we  must  not  measure  the  ordinances 
of  God  by  laws  that  are  plausible  in  our  own  eyes. 
Justice  is  a  relative  and  not  an  abstract  quality; 
and,  until  we  understand  the  relations  of  the 
Deity  to  ourselves  as  well  as  we  understand  our 
own  relations  to  the  Deity,  we  reason  in  the 
dark." 

"  I  do  not  like  to  hear  thee  speak  thus,  Sigismund, 
and,  least  of  all,  with  a  brow  so  clouded,  and  in 
a  voice  so  hollow !" 

"  I  will  tell  my  tale  more  cheerfully,  dearest.  I 
have  no  right  to  make  thee  the  partner  of  my 
misery ;  and  yet  this  is  the  manner  I  have  reason 
ed,  and  thought,  and  pondered — ay,  until  my  brain 
has  grown  heated,  and  the  power  to  reason  itself 
has  nearly  tottered.  Ever  since  that  accursed 
rour,  in  which  the  truth  became  known  to  me, 
and  I  was  made  the  master  of  the  fatal  secret, 
have  I  endeavored  to  feel  and  reason  thus." 

"What  truth? — what  secret? — If  thou  lovest 
me,  Sigismund,  speak  calmly  and  without  reserve." 

The  young  man  gazed  at  her  anxious  face  in 
a  way  to  show  how  deeply  he  felt  the  weight  of 
the  blow  he  was  about  to  give.  Then,  after  a  pause, 
he  continued. 

"  We  have  lately  passed  through  a  terrible  scene 
together,  dearest  Adelheid.  It  was  one  that  may 
well  lessen  the  distances  set  between  us  by  human 
laws  and  the  tyranny  of  opinions.  Had  it  been 
the  will  of  God  that  the  bark  should  perish,  what 
a  confused  crowd  of  ill-assorted  spirits  would  have 
R 


194  THE   HEADSMAN. 

passed  together  into  eternity !  We  had  them,  there, 
of  all  degrees  of  vice,  as  of  nearly  all  degrees  of 
cultivation,  from  the  subtle  iniquity  of  the  wily 
Neapolitan  juggler  to  thine  own  pure  soul.  There 
would  have  died  in  the  Winkelried  the  noble  of 
high  degree,  the  reverend  priest,  the  soldier  in  the 
pride  of  his  strength,  and  the  mendicant !  Death 
is  an  uncompromising  leveller,  and  the  depths  of 
the  lake,  at  least,  might  have  washed  out  all  our 
infamy,  whether  it  came  of  real  demerits  or  mere 
ly  from  received  usage ;  even  the  luckless  Baltha 
zar,  the  persecuted  and  hated  headsman,  might 
have  found  those  who  would  have  mourned  his 
loss." 

"  If  any  could  have  died  unwept  in  meeting 
such  a  fate,  it  must  have  been  one  that,  in  common, 
awakes  so  little  of  human  sympathy;  and  one  too, 
who,  by  dealing  himself  in  the  woes  of  others,  has 
less  claim  to  the  compassion  that  we  yield  to  most 
of  our  species." 

"  Spare  me — in  mercy,  Adelheid,  spare  me — 
thou  speakest  of  my  father!" 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Fortune  had  smil'd  upon  Guelberto's  birth, 
The  heir  of  Valdespesa's  rich  domain ; 
An  only  child,  he  grew  in  years  and  worth, 
And  well  repaid  a  father's  anxious  pain. 

SOUTHEY. 

As  Sigismund  uttered  this  communication,  so 
terrible  to  the  ear  of  his  listener,  he  arose  and  fled 
from  the  room.  The  possession  of  a  kingdom 
would  not  have  tempted  him  to  remain  and  note 


THE   HEADSMAN.  195 

its  effect.  The  domestics  of  Blonay  observed  his 
troubled  air  and  rapid  strides  as  he  passed  them, 
but,  too  simple  to  suspect  more  than  the  ordinary 
impetuosity  of  youth,  he  succeeded  in  getting 
through  the  inferior  gate  of  the  castle  and  into  the 
fields,  without  attracting  any  embarrassing  atten 
tion  to  his  movements.  Here  he  began  to  breathe 
more  freely,  and  the  load  which  had  nearly  choked 
his  respiration  became  lightened.  For  half  an 
hour  the  young  man  paced  the  greensward  scarce 
ly  conscious  whither  he  went,  until  he  found  that 
his  steps  had  again  led  him  beneath  the  window 
of  the  knights'  hall.  Glancing  an  eye  upward,  he 
saw  Adelheid  still  seated  at  the  balcony,  and  ap 
parently  yet  alone.  He  thought  she  had  been 
weeping,  and  he  cursed  the  weakness  which  had 
kept  him  from  effecting  the  often-renewed  resolu 
tion  to  remove  himself,  and  his  cruel  fortunes,  for 
ever  from  before  her  mind.  A  second  look,  how 
ever,  showed  him  that  he  was  again  beckoned  to 
ascend !  The  revolutions  in  the  purposes  of  lovers 
are  sudden  and  easily  effected;  and  Sigismund, 
through  whose  mind  a  dozen  ill-digested  plans  of 
placing  the  sea  between  himself  and  her  he  loved 
had  just  been  floating,  was  now  hurriedly  re 
tracing  his  steps  to  her  presence. 

Adelheid  had  necessarily  been  educated  under 
the  influence  of  the  prejudices  of  the  age  and  of 
the  country  in  which  she  lived.  The  existence  of 
the  office  of  headsman  in  Berne,  and  the  nature  of 
its  hereditary  duties,  were  well  known  to  her ;  and, 
though  superior  to  the  inimical  feeling  which  had 
so  lately  been  exhibited  against  the  luckless  Bal 
thazar,  she  had  certainly  never  anticipated  a  shock 
so  cruel  as  was  now  produced,  by  abruptly  learn 
ing  that  this  despised  and  persecuted  being  was  the 
father  of  the  youth  to  whom  she  had  yielded  her 
virgin  affections.  When  the  words  which  pro- 


196  THE    HEADSMAN 

claimed  the  connexion  had  escaped  the  lips  of  Si- 
gismund,  she  listened  like  one  who  fancied  that 
her  ears  deceived  her.  She  had  prepared  herself 
to  learn  that  he  derived  his  being  from  some  pea 
sant  or  ignoble  artisan,  and,  once  or  twice,  as  he 
drew  nearer  to  the  fatal  declaration,  awkward 
glimmerings  of  a  suspicion  that  some  repulsive 
moral  unworthiness  was  connected  with  his  origin 
troubled  her  imagination;  but  her  apprehensions 
could  not,  by  possibility,  once  turn  in  the  direction 
of  the  revolting  truth.  It  was  some  time  before 
she  was  able  to  collect  her  thoughts,  or  to  reflect 
on  the  course  it  most  became  her  to  pursue.  But, 
as  has  been  seen,  it  was  long  before  she  could  sum 
mon  the  self-command  to  request  what  she  now 
saw  was  doubly  necessary,  another  meeting  with 
her  lover.  As  both  had  thought  of  nothing  but  his 
last  words  during  the  short  separation,  there  ap 
peared  no  abruptness  in  the  manner  in  which  he 
resumed  the  discourse,  on  seating  himself  at  her 
side,  exactly  as  if  they  had  not  parted  at  all. 

"  The  secret  has  been  torn  from  me,  Adelheid. 
The  headsman  of  the  canton  is  my  father;  were 
the  fact  publicly  known,  the  heartless  and  obdurate 
laws  would  compel  me  to  be  his  successor.  He 
has  no  other  child,  except  a  gentle  girl — one  inno 
cent  and  kind  as  thou." 

Adelheid  covered  her  face  with  both  her  hands, 
as  if  to  shut  out  a  view  of  the  horrible  truth.  Per 
haps  an  instinctive  reluctance  to  permit  her  com 
panion  to  discover  how  great  a  blow  had  been 
given  by  this  avowal  of  his  birth,  had  also  its  in 
fluence  in  producing  the  movement.  They  who 
have  passed  the  period  of  youth,  and  who  can  re 
call  those  days  of  inexperience  and  hope,  when  the 
affections  are  fresh  and  the  heart  is  untainted  with 
too  much  communion  with  the  world, — and,  espe 
cially,  they  who  know  a  what  a  delicate  com- 


THE    HEADSMAN.  197 

pound  of  the  imaginative  and  the  real  the  master- 
passion  is  formed,  how  sensitively  it  regards  all  that 
can  reflect  credit  on  the  beloved  object,  and  with 
what  ingenuity  it  endeavors  to  find  plausible  ex 
cuses  for  every  blot  that  may  happen,  either  by 
accident  or  demerit,  to  tarnish  the  lustre  of  a  pic- 
ure  that  fancy  has  so  largely  aided  in  drawing, 
will  understand  the  rude  nature  of  the  shock  that 
she  had  received.  But  Adelheid  de  Willading, 
though  a  woman  in  the  liveliness  and  fervor  of  her 
imagination,  as  well  as  in  the  proneness  to  conceive 
her  own  ingenuous  conceptions  to  be  more  found 
ed  in  reality  than  a  sterner  view  of  things  might 
possibly  have  warranted,  was  a  woman  also  in 
the  more  generous  qualities  of  the  heart,  and  in 
those  enduring  principles,  which  seem  to  have  pre 
disposed  the  better  part  of  the  sex  to  make  the 
heaviest  sacrifices  rather  than  be  false  to  their  af 
fections.  While  her  frame  shuddered,  therefore, 
with  the  violence  and  abruptness  of  the  emotions 
she  had  endured,  dawnings  of  the  right  gleamed 
upon  her  pure  mind,  and  it  was  not  long  before 
she  was  able  to  contemplate  the  truth  with  the 
steadiness  of  principle,  though  it  might,  at  the  same 
time,  have  been  with  much  of  the  lingering  weak 
ness  of  humanity.  When  she  lowered  her  hands, 
she  looked  towards  the  mute  and  watchful  Sigis- 
mund,  with  a  smile  that  caused  the  deadly  paleness 
of  her  features  to  resemble  a  gleam  of  the  sun 
lighting  upon  a  spotless  peak  of  her  native  moun 
tains. 

"  It  would  be  vain  to  endeavor  to  conceal  from 
thee,  Sigismund,"  she  said,  "  that  1  could  wish  this 
were  not  so.  I  will  confess  even  more — that 
when  the  truth  first  broke  upon  me,  thy  repeated 
services,  and,  what  is  even  less  pardonable,  thy 
tried  worth,  were  for  an  instant  forgotten  in  the 
.reluctance  I  felt  to  admit  that  my  fate  could  ever 
R2 


198  THfc.    TfiEADSMAN. 

be  united  with  one  so  unhappily  situated.  There 
are  moments  when  prejudices  and  habits  are  strong 
er  than  reason ;  but  their  triumph  is  short  in  well- 
intentioned  minds.  The  terrible  injustice  of  our 
laws  have  never  struck  me  with  such  force  before, 
though  last  night,  while  those  wretched  travellers 
were  so  eager  for  the  blood  of — of — " 

"  My  father,  Adelheid." 

"  Of  the  author  of  thy  being,  Sigismund,"  she 
continued,  with  a  solemnity  that  proved  to  the 
young  man  how  deeply  she  reverenced  the  tie,  "  I 
was  compelled  to  see  that  society  might  be  cruelly 
unjust;  but  now  I  find  its  laws  and  prohibitions 
visiting  one  like  thee,  so  far  from  joining  in  its  op 
pression,  my  soul  revolts  against  the  wrong." 

"  Thanks — thanks — a  thousand  thanks  !"  return 
ed  the  young  man,  fervently.  "  I  did  not  expect 
less  than  this  from  thee,  Mademoiselle  de  Willad- 
ing." 

"  If  thou  didst  not  expect  more — far  more,  Sigis 
mund,"  resumed  the  maiden,  her  ashen  hue  bright 
ened  to  crimson,  "  thou  hast  scarcely  been  less  un 
just  than  the  world  ;  and  I  will  add,  thou  hast  nev 
er  understood  that  Adelheid  de  Willading,  whose 
name  is  uttered  with  so  cold  a  form.  We  all  have 
moments  of  weakness ;  moments  when  the  seduc 
tions  of  life,  the  worthless  ties  which  bind  together 
the  thoughtless  and  selfish  in  what  are  called  the 
interests  of  the  world,  appear  of  more  value  than 
aught  else.  I  am  no  visionary,  to  fancy  imaginary 
and  factitious  obligations  superior  to  those  which 
nature  and  wisdom  have  created — for  if  there  be 
much  unjustifiable  cruelty  in  the  practices,  there  is 
also  much  that  is  wise  in  the  ordinances,  of  socie 
ty — or  to  think  that  a  wayward  fanry  is  to  be 
indulged  at  any  and  every  expense  to  the  feel 
ings  and  opinions  of  others.  On  the  contrary,  I 
well  know  that  so  long  as  men  exist  in  the  condi- 


THE    HEADSMAN.  199 

tion  in  which  they  are,  it  is  little  more  than  com 
mon  prudence  to  respect  their  habits;  and  that  ill- 
assorted  unions,  in  general,  contain  in  themselves 
a  dangerous  enemy  to  happiness.  Had  I  always 
known  thy  history,  dread  of  the  consequences,  or 
those  cold  forms  which  protect  the  fortunate 
would  probably  have  interposed  to  prevent  either 
from  learning  much  of  the  other's  character.— I 
say  not  this,  Sigismund,  as  by  thy  eye  I  see  thou 
wouldst  think,  in  reproach  for  any  deception,  for  I 
well  know  the  accidental  nature  of  our  acquaint 
ance,  and  that  the  intimacy  was  forced  upon  thee 
by  our  own  importunate  gratitude,  but  simply,  and 
in  explanation  of  my  own  feelings.  As  it  is,  we 
are  not  to  judge  of  our  situation  by  ordinary  rules, 
and  I  am  not  now  to  decide  on  your  pretensions 
to  my  hand  merely  as  the  daughter  of  the  Baron 
de  Willading  receiving  a  proposal  from  one  whose 
birth  is  not  noble,  but  as  Adelheid  should  weigh 
the  claims  of  Sigismund,  subject  to  some  diminu 
tion  of  advantages,  if  thou  wilt,  that  is  perhaps 
greater  than  she  had  at  first  anticipated." 

"  Dost  thou  consider  the  acceptance  of  my  hand 
possible,  after  what  thou  knowest !"  exclaimed  the 
young  man,  in  open  wonder. 

"  So  far  from  regarding  the  question  in  that 
manner,  I  ask  myself  if  it  will  be  right — if  it  be 
possible,  to  reject  the  preserver  of  my  own  life, 
the  preserver  of  my  father's  life,  Sigismund  Stein- 
bach,  because  he  is  the  son  of  one  that  men  per 
secute  t" 

"Adelheid !" 

"  Do  not  anticipate  my  words,"  said  the  maiden 
calmly,  but  in  a  way  to  check  his  impatience  by 
the  quiet  dignity  of  her  manner  "  This  is  an  im 
portant,  I  might  say  a  solemn  decision,  and  it  has 
been  presented  to  me  suddenly  and  without  prepa 
ration  Thou  wilt  not  think  the  worse  of  me,  for 


200  THE    HEADSMAN. 

asking  time  to  reflect  before  I  give  the  pledge  that 
in  my  eyes,  will  be  for  ever  sacred.  My  father, 
believing  thee  to  be  of  obscure  origin,  and  tho 
roughly  conscious  of  thy  worth,  dear  Sigismund, 
authorized  me  to  speak  as  I  did  in  the  beginning 
of  our  interview ;  but  my  father  may  possibly  think 
the  conditions  of  his  consent  altered  by  this  un 
happy  exposure  of  the  truth.  It  is  meet  that  I  tell 
him  all,  for  thou  knowest  I  must  abide  by  his  de 
cision.  This  thine  own  sense  and  filial  piety  will 
approve." 

In  spite  of  the  strong  objectionable  facts  that  he 
had  just  revealed,  hope  had  begun  to  steal  upon  the 
wishes  of  the  young  man,  as  he  listened  to  the 
consoling  words  of  the  single-minded  and  affec 
tionate  Adelheid.  It  would  scarcely  have  been  pos 
sible  for  a  youth  so  endowed  by  nature,  and  one 
so  inevitably  conscious  of  his  own  value,  though 
so  modest  in  its  exhibition,  not  to  feel  encouraged 
by  her  ingenuous  and  frank  admission,  as  she  be 
trayed  his  influence  over  her  happiness  in  the  un 
disguised  and  simple  manner  related.  But  the  in 
tention  to  appeal  to  her  father  caused  him  to  view 
the  subject  more  dispassionately,  for  his  strong 
sense  was  not  slow  in  pointing  out  the  difference 
between  the  two  judges,  in  a  case  like  his. 

"  Trouble  him  not,  Adelheid  ;  the  consciousness 
that  his  prudence  denies  what  a  generous  feeling 
might  prompt  him  to  bestow,  may  render  him  un 
happy.  It  is  impossible  that  Melchior  de  Willading 
should  consent  to  give  an  only  child  to  a  son  of 
the  headsman  of  his  canton.  At  some  other  time, 
when  the  recollections  of  the  late  storm  shall  be 
less  vivid,  thine  own  reason  will  approve  of  his 
decision." 

His  companion,  who  was  thoughtfully  leaning 
her  spotless  brow  on  her  hand,  did  not  appear  to 
hear  his  words.  She  had  recovered  from  the  shock 


THE   HEADSMAN.  201 

given  by  the  sudden  announcement  of  his  origin, 
and  was  now  musing  intently,  and  with  cooler  dis 
crimination,  on  the  commencement  of  their  ac 
quaintance,  its  progress  and  all  its  little  incidents, 
down  to  the  two  grave  events  which  had  so 
gradually  and  firmly  cemented  the  sentiments  of 
esteem  and  admiration  in  the  stronger  and  indelible 
tie  of  affection. 

"  If  thou  art  the  son  of  him  thou  namest,  why 
art  thou  known  by  the  name  of  Steinbach,  when 
Balthazar  bears  another?"  demanded  Adelheid 
anxious  to  seize  even  the  faintest  hold  of  hope. 

"  It  was  my  intention  to  conceal  nothing,  but  to 
lay  before  thee  the  history  of  my  life,  with  all  the 
reasons  that  may  have  influenced  my  conduct," 
returned  Sigismund :  "  at  some  other  time,  when 
both  are  in  a  calmer  state  of  mind,  I  shall  dare  to 
entreat  a  hearing — " 

"Delay  is  unnecessary — it  might  even  be  im 
proper.  It  is  my  duty  to  explain  every  thing  to 
my  father,  and  he  may  wish  to  know  why  thou 
hast  not  always  appeared  what  thou  art.  Do  not 
fancy,  Sigismund,  that  I  distrust  thy  motive,  but 
the  wariness  of  the  old  and  the  confidence  of  the 
young  have  so  little  in  common ! — I  would  rathei 
that  thou  told  me  now." 

He  yielded  to  the  mild  earnestness  of  her  man 
ner,  and  to  the  sweet,  but  sad,  smile  with  whici 
she  seconded  the  appeal. 

"  If  thou  wilt  hear  the  melancholy  history,  Adel 
heid,"  he  said,  "  there  is  no  sufficient  reason  wh> 
I  should  wish  to  postpone  the  little  it  will  be  ne 
cessary  to  say.  You  are  probably  familiar  wift 
the  laws  of  the  canton,  I  mean  those  cruel  ordi 
nances  by  which  a  particular  family  is  condemned 
for  a  better  word  can  scarcely  be  found,  to  dis 
charge  the  duties  of  this  revolting  office.  Thit 
duty  may  have  been  a  privilege  in  the  dark  ages. 


202  THE    HEADSMAN. 

but  it  is  now  become  a  tax  that  none,  who  have 
been  educated  with  better  hopes,  can  endure  to  pay. 
My  father,  trained  from  infancy  to  expect  the  em 
ployment,  and  accustomed  to  its  discharge  in  con 
templation,  succeeded  to  his  parent  while  yet 
young;  and,  though  formed  by  nature  a  meek  and 
even  a  compassionate  man,  he  has  never  shrunk 
from  his  bloody  tasks,  whenever  required  to  fulfil 
them  by  the  command  of  his  superiors.  But,  touch 
ed  by  a  sentiment  of  humanity,  it  was  his  wish  to 
avert  from  me  what  his  better  reason  led  him  to 
think  the  calamity  of  our  race.  I  am  the  eldest 
born,  and,  strictly,  I  was  the  child  most  liable  to 
be  called  to  assume  the  office,  but,  as  I  have  heard, 
the  tender  love  of  my  mother  induced  her  to  sug 
gest  a  plan  by  which  I,  at  least,  might  be  rescued 
from  the  odium  that  had  so  long  been  attached  to 
our  name.  I  was  secretly  conveyed  from  the 
house  while  yet  an  infant ;  a  feigned  death  con 
cealed  the  pious  fraud,  and  thus  far,  Heaven  be 
praised !  the  authorities  are  ignorant  of  my  birth !" 

"And  thy  mother,  Sigismund ;  I  have  great  re 
spect  for  that  noble  mother,  who,  doubtless,  is  en 
dowed  with  more  than  her  sex's  firmness  and 
constancy,  since  she  must  have  sworn  faith  and 
love  to  thy  father,  knowing  his  duties  and  the  hope 
lessness  of  their  being  evaded  ?  I  feel  a  reverence 
for  a  woman  so  superior  to  the  weaknesses,  and 
yet  so  true  to  the  real  and  best  affections,  of  her 
sex !" 

The  young  man  smiled  so  painfully  as  to  cause 
his  enthusiastic  companion  to  regret  that  she  had 
put  the  question. 

"  My  mother  is  certainly  a  woman  not  only  to 
be  loved,  but  in  many  particulars  deeply  to  be  re 
vered.  My  poor  and  noble  mother  has  a  thousand 
excellencies,  being  a  most  tender  parent,  witb  a 
heart  so  kind  that  it  would  grieve  her  to  see  injury 


THE    HEADSMAN.  203 

done  even  to  the  meanest  living  thing.  She  was 
not  a  woman,  surely,  intended  by  God  to  be  the 
mother  of  a  line  of  executioners !" 

"  Thou  seest,  Sigismund,"  said  Adelheid,  nearly 
breathless  in  the  desire  to  seek  an  excuse  for  her 
own  predilections,  and  to  lessen  the  mental  agony 
he  endured — "  thou  seest  that  one  gentle  and  ex 
cellent  woman,  at  least,  could  trust  her  happiness 
to  thy  family.  No  doubt  she  was  the  daughter  of 
some  worthy  and  just- vie  wing  burgher  of  the  can 
ton,  that  had  educated  his  child  to  distinguish  be 
tween  misfortune  and  crime  ?" 

"  She  was  an  only  child  and  an  heiress,  like  thy 
self,  Adelheid;"  he  answered,  looking  about  him 
as  if  he  sought  some  object  on  which  he  might 
cast  part  of  the  bitterness  that  loaded  his  heart. 
"  Thou  art  not  less  the  beloved  and  cherished  of 
thine  own  parent  than  was  my  excellent  mother  of 
her's !" 

"  Sigismund,  thy  manner  is  startling  ! — What 
wouldst  thou  say  ?" 

"  Neufchatel,  and  other  countries  besides  Berne, 
have  their  privileged !  My  mother  was  the  only 
child  of  the  headsman  of  the  first.  Thus  thou 
seest,  Adelheid,  that  I  boast  my  quarterings  as 
well  as  another.  God  be  praised !  we  are  not  le 
gally  compelled,  however,  to  butcher  the  con 
demned  of  any  country  but  our  own  !" 

The  wild  bitterness  with  which  this  was  uttered, 
and  the  energy  of  his  language,  struck  thrilling 
chords  on  every  nerve  of  his  listener. 

"  So  many  honors  should  not  be  unsupported  ;" 
he  resumed.  "  We  are  rich,  for  people  of  humble 
wishes,  and  have  ample  means  of  living  withou 
the  revenues  of  our  charge — I  love  to  put  forth 
our  long-acquired  honors!  The  means  of  a  ic- 
spectable  livelihood  are  far  from  being  wanted.  I 
have  told  you  of  the  kind  intentions  of  my  mother 


204  THE   HEADSMAN. 

to  redeem  one  of  her  children,  at  least,  from  the 
stigma  which  weighed  upon  us  all,  and  the  birth 
of  a  second  son  enabled  her  to  effect  this  charita 
ble  purpose,  without  attracting  attention.  I  was 
nursed  and  educated  apart,  for  many  years,  in  ig 
norance  of  my  birth.  At  a  suitable  age,  notwith 
standing  the  early  death  of  my  brother,  I  was  sent 
to  seek  advancement  in  the  service  of  the  house  of 
Austria,  under  the  feigned  name  I  bear.  I  will  not 
tell  thee  the  anguish  I  felt,  Adelheid,  when  the  truth 
was  at  length  revealed !  Of  all  the  cruelties  inflict 
ed  by  society,  there  is  none  so  unrighteous  in  its 
nature  as  the  stigma  it  entails  in  the  succession  of 
crime  or  misfortune:  of  all  its  favors,  none  can 
find  so  little  justification,  in  right  and  reason,  as 
the  privileges  accorded  to  the  accident  of  descent." 

"  And  yet  we  are  much  accustomed  to  honor 
those  that  come  of  an  ancient  line,  and  to  see  some 
part  of  the  glory  of  the  ancestor  even  in  the  most 
remote  descendant." 

"  The  more  remote,  the  greater  is  the  world's 
deference.  What  better  proof  can  we  have  of 
the  world's  weakness  1  Thus  the  immediate  child 
of  the  hero,  he  whose  blood  is  certain,  who  bears 
the  image  of  the  father  in  his  face,  who  has  lis 
tened  to  his  counsels,  and  may  be  supposed  to  have 
derived,  at  least,  some  portion  of  his  greatness 
from  the  nearness  of  his  origin,  is  less  a  prince 
than  he  who  has  imbibed  the  current  through  a 
hundred  vulgar  streams,  and,  were  truth  but  known, 
may  have  no  natural  claim  at  all  upon  the  much- 
prized  blood !  This  comes  of  artfully  leading  the 
mind  to  prejudices,  and  of  a  vicious  longing  in 
man  to  forget  his  origin  and  destiny,  by  wishing 
to  be  more  than  nature  ever  intended  he  should 
become." 

"  Surely,  Sigismund,  there  is  something  justifia- 


THE   HEADSMAN.  205 

ble  in  the  sentiment  of  desiring  to  belong  to  the 
good  and  noble !" 

"  If  good  and  noble  were  the  same.  Thou  hast 
well  designated  the  feeling ;  so  long  as  it  is  truly 
a  sentiment,  it  is  not  only  excusable  but  wise ;  for 
who  would  not  wish  to  come  of  the  brave,  and 
honest,  and  learned,  or  by  what  other  greatness 
they  may  be  known  ? — it  is  wise,  since  the  legacy 
of  his  virtues  is  perhaps  the  dearest  incentive  that 
a  good  man  has  for  struggling  against  the  cur 
rents  of  baser  interest ;  but  what  hope  is  left  to 
one  like  me,  who  finds  himself  so  placed  that  he 
can  neither  inherit  nor  transmit  aught  but  disgrace! 
I  do  not  affect  to  despise  the  advantages  of  birth, 
simply  because  I  do  not  possess  them ;  I  only  com 
plain  that  artful  combinations  have  perverted  what 
should  be  sentiment  and  taste,  into  a  narrow  and 
vulgar  prejudice,  by  which  the  really  ignoble  en 
joy  privileges  greater  than  those  perhaps  who  are 
worthy  of  the  highest  honors  man  can  bestow." 

Adelheid  had  encouraged  the  digression,  which, 
with  one  less  gifted  with  strong  good  sense  than 
Sigismund,  might  have  only  served  to  wound  his 
pride,  but  she  perceived  that  he  eased  his  mind  by 
thus  drawing  on  his  reason,  and  by  setting  up  that 
which  should  be  in  opposition  to  that  which  was. 

"Thou  knowest,"  she  answered,  "that  neither 
my  father  nor  I  am  disposed  to  lay  much  stress  on 
the  opinions  of  the  world,  as  it  concerns  thee." 

"  That  is,  neither  will  insist  on  nobility ;  but  will 
either  consent  to  share  the  obloquy  of  a  union  with 
an  hereditary  executioner  ?" 

"  Thou  hast  not  yet  related  all  it  may  be  neces 
sary  to  know  that  we  may  decide." 

"  There  is  left  little  to  explain.     The  expedient 

of  my  kind  parents  has  thus  far  succeeded.    Their 

two  surviving  children,  my  sister  and  myself,  were 

snatched,  for  a  time  at  least,  from  their  accursed 

S 


206  THE    HEADSMAN. 

fortune,  while  my  poor  brother,  who  promised  little, 
was  left,  by  a  partiality  I  will  not  stop  to  examine, 
to  pass  as  the  inheritor  of  our  infernal  privileges — - 
Nay,  pardon,  dearest  Adelheid,  I  will  be  more  cool ; 
but  death  has  saved  the  youth  from  the  execrable 
duties,  and  I  am  now  the  only  male  child  of  Bal 
thazar — yes,"  he  added,  laughing  frightfully,  "  I, 
too,  have  now  a  narrow  monopoly  of  all  the  hon 
ors  of  our  house !" 

"  Thou — thou,  Sigismund — with  thy  habits,  thy 
education,  thy  feelings,  thou  surely  canst  not  be 
required  to  discharge  the  duties  of  this  horrible 
office !" 

"  It  is  easy  to  see  that  my  high  privileges  do  not 
charm  you,  Mademoiselle  de  Willading ;  nor  can  I 
wonder  at  the  taste.  My  chief  surprise  should  be, 
that  you  so  long  tolerate  an  executioner  in  your 
presence." 

"  Did  I  not  know  and  understand  the  bitterness 
of  feeling  natural  to  one  so  placed,  this  language 
would  cruelly  hurt  me,  Sigismund ;  but  thou  canst 
not  truly  mean  there  is  a  real  danger  of  thy  ever 
being  called  to  execute  this  duty  ?  Should  there 
be  the  chance  of  such  a  calamity,  may  not  the  in 
fluence  of  my  father  avert  it  ?  He  is  not  without 
weight  in  the  councils  of  the  canton." 

"At  present  his  friendship  need  not  be  taxed, 
for  none  but  my  parents,  my  sister,  and  thou, 
Adelheid,  are  acquainted  with  the  facts  I  have  just 
related.  My  poor  sister  is  an  artless,  but  an  unhap 
py  girl,  for  the  well-intentioned  design  of  our 
mother  has  greatly  disqualified  her  from  bearing 
the  truth,  as  she  might  have  done,  had  it  been  kept 
constantly  before  her  eyes.  To  the  world,  a  young 
kinsman  of  my  father  appears  destined  to  succeed 
him,  and  there  the  matter  must  stand  until  fortune 
shall  decide  differently.  As  respects  my  poor 
sister,  there  is  some  little  hope  that  the  evil  may  be 


THE    HEADSMAN.  207 

altogether  averted.  She  is  on  the  point  of  a  mar 
riage  here  at  Vevey,  that  may  be  the  means  of 
concealing  her  origin  in  new  ties.  As  for  me, 
time  must  decide  my  fate." 

"Why  should  the  truth  be  ever  known!"  ex 
claimed  Adelheid,  nearly  gasping  for  breath,  in  her 
eagerness  to  propose  some  expedient  that  should 
rescue  Sigismund  for  ever  from  so  odious  an  office. 

"  Thou  sayest  that  there  are  ample  means  in  thy 
family — relinquish  all  to  this  youth,  on  condition 
that  he  assume  thy  place  !" 

"  I  would  gladly  beggar  myself  to  be  quit  of 
it—" 

"  Nay,  thou  wilt  not  be  a  beggar  while  there  is 
wealth  among  the  de  Willadings.  Let  the  final 
decision,  in  respect  to  other  things,  be  what  it  may, 
this  can  we  at  least  promise  !" 

"  My  sword  will  prevent  me  from  being  under 
the  necessity  of  accepting  the  boon  thou  wouldst 
offer.  With  this  good  sword  I  can  always  com 
mand  an  honorable  existence,  should  Providence 
save  me  from  the  disgrace  of  exchanging  it  for  that 
of  the  executioner.  But  there  exists  an  obstacle  of 
which  thou  hast  not  yet  heard.  My  sister,  who 
has  certainly  no  admiration  for  the  honors  that 
have  humiliated  our  race  for  so  many  generations 
— I  might  say  ages — have  we  not  ancient  honors, 
Adelheid,  as  well  as  thou  ? — my  sister  is  contract 
ed  to  one  who  bargains  for  eternal  secrecy  on  this 
point,  as  the  condition  of  his  accepting  the  hand 
and  ample  dowry  of  one  of  the  gentlest  of  human 
beings !  Thou  s'eest  that  others  are  not  as  gene 
rous  as  thyself,  Adelheid !  My  father,  anxious  to 
dispose  of  his  child,  has  consented  to  the  terms 
and  as  the  youth  who  is  next  in  succession  to  the 
family-honors  is  little  disposed  to  accept  them,  and 
has  already  some  suspicion  of  the  deception  as  re 
spects  her,  I  may  be  comoelled  to  appear  in  order 


208  THE    HEADSMAN, 

to  protect  the  offspring  of  my  unoffending  sister 
from  the  curse." 

This  was  assailing  Adelheid  in  a  point  where 
she  was  the  weakest.  One  of  her  generous  tem 
perament  and  self-denying  habits  could  scarce 
entertain  the  wish  of  exacting  that  from  another 
which  she  was  not  willing  to  undergo  herself,  and 
the  hope  that  had  just  been  reviving  in  her  heart 
was  nearly  extinguished  by  the  discovery.  Still 
she  was  so  much  in  the  habit  of  feeling  under  the 
guidance  of  her  excellent  sense,  and  it  was  so  nat 
ural  to  cling  to  her  just  wishes,  while  there  was  a 
reasonable  chance  of  their  being  accomplished, 
that  she  did  not  despair. 

"  Thy  sister  and  her  future  husband  know  her 
birth,  and  understand  the  chances  they  run/' 

"  She  knows  all  this,  and  such  is  her  generosity, 
th&w  she  is  not  disposed  to  betray  me  in  order  to 
serve  herself.  But  this  self-denial  forms  an  addi 
tional  obligation  on  my  part  to  declare  myself  the 
wretch  I  am.  I  cannot  say  that  my  sister  is  ac 
customed  to  regard  our  long-endured  fortunes  with 
all  the  horror  I  feel,  for  she  has  been  longer  ac 
quainted  with  the  facts,  and  the  domestic  habits  of 
her  sex  have  left  her  less  exposed  to  the  encounter 
of  the  wo*  J's  hatred,  and  perhaps  she  is  partly 
ignorant  of  all  the  odium  we  sustain.  My  long 
absences  in  foreign  services  delayed  the  confidence 
as  respects  myself,  while  the  yearnings  of  a  mother 
towards  an  only  daughter  caused  her  to  be  received 
into  the  family,  though  still  in  secret,  several  years 
before  I  was  told  the  truth.  She  is  also  much  my 
junior;  and  all  these  causes,  with  some  difference 
in  our  education,  have  less  disposed  her  to  misery 
than  I  am ;  for  while  my  father,  with  a  cruel  kind 
ness,  had  me  well  and  even  liberally  instructed, 
Christine  was  taught  as  better  became  the  hopes 
and  origin  of  both.  Now  tell  me,  Adelheid,  that 


THE    HEADSMAN.  209 

thou  hatest  me  for  my  parentage,  and  despisest  me 
for  having  so  long  dared  to  intrude  on  thy  compa 
ny,  with  the  full  consciousness  of  what  I  am  for 
ever  present  to  my  thoughts!" 

"  I  like  not  to  hear  thee  make  these  bitter  allu 
sions  to  an  accident  of  this  nature,  Sigismund. 
Were  I  to  tell  thee  that  I  do  not  feel  this  circum 
stance  with  nearly,  if  not  quite,  as  much  poignan 
cy  as  thyself,"  added  the  ingenuous  girl,  with  a 
noble  frankness,  "  I  should  do  injustice  to  my  grati 
tude  and  to  my  esteem  for  thy  character.  But 
there  is  more  elasticity  in  the  heart  of  woman 
than  in  that  of  thy  imperious  and  proud  sex.  So 
far  from  thinking  of  thee  as  thou  wouldst  fain  be 
lieve,  I  see  naught  but  what  is  natural  and  justifia 
ble  in  thy  reserve.  Remember,  thou  hast  not 
tempted  my  ears  by  professions  and  prayers,  as 
women  are  commonly  entreated,  but  that  the  in 
terest  I  feel  in  thee  has  been  modestly  and  fairly 
won.  1  can  neither  say  nor  hear  more  at  present 
for  this  unexpected  announcement  has  in  some  de 
gree  unsettled  my  mind.  Leave  me  to  reflect  on 
what  I  ought  to  do,  and  rest  assured  that  thou 
canst  not  have  a  kinder  or  more  partial  advocate 
of  what  truly  belongs  to  thy  honor  and  happiness 
than  my  own  heart." 

As  the  daughter  of  Melchior  de  Willading  con 
cluded,  she  extended  her  hand  with  affection  to 
the  young  man,  who  pressed  it  against  his  breast 
witn  manly  tenderness,  when  he  slowly  and  reluc 
tantly  withdrew. 


S2 


210  THE    HEADSMAN 


CHAPTER  XII. 

To  know  no  more 
Is  woman's  happiest  knowledge,  and  her  praise. 

MILTON. 

OUR  heroine  was  a  woman  in  the  best  meaning 
of  that  endearing,  and,  we  might  add,  compre 
hensive  word.  Sensitive,  reserved,  and  at  times 
even  timid,  on  points  that  did  not  call  for  the  ex 
ercise  of  higher  qualities,  she  was  firm  in  her  prin 
ciples,  constant  as  she  was  fond  in  her  affections, 
and  self-devoted  when  duty  and  inclination  united 
to  induce  the  concession,  to  a  degree  that  placed 
the  idea  of  sacrifice  out  of  the  question.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  liability  to  receive  lively  impres 
sions,  a  distinctive  feature  of  her  sex,  and  the  apti 
tude  to  attach  importance  to  the  usages  by  which 
she  was  surrounded,  and  which  is  necessarily 
greatest  in  those  who  lead  secluded  and  inactive 
lives,  rendered  it  additionally  difficult  for  her  mind 
to  escape  from  the  trammels  of  opinion,  and  to  think 
with  indifference  of  circumstances  which  all  near 
her  treated  with  high  respect,  or  to  which  they 
attached  a  stigma  allied  to  disgust.  Had  the  case 
been  reversed,  had  Sigismund  been  noble,  and 
Adelheid  a  headsman's  child,  it  is  probable  the 
young  man  might  have  found  the  means  to  indulge 
his  passion  without  making  too  great  a  sacrifice 
of  his  pride.  By  transporting  his  wife  to  his  cas 
tle,  conferring  his  own  established  name,  separat 
ing  her  from  all  that  was  unpleasant  and  degrading 
in  the  connexion,  and  finding  occupation  for  his 
own  mind  in  the  multiplied  and  engrossing  employ 
ments  of  his  station,  he  would  have  diminished 
motives  for  contemplating,  and  consequently  for 


THE    HEADSMAN-.  211 

amenting,  the  objectionable  features  of  the  alli 
ance  he  had  made.  These  are  the  advantages 
which  nature  and  the  laws  of  society  give  to  man 
over  the  weaker  but  the  truer  sex :  and  yet  how 
few  would  have  had  sufficient  generosity  to  make 
even  the  sacrifice  of  feeling  which  such  a  course 
required !  On  the  other  hand,  Adelheid  would  be 
compelled  to  part  with  the  ancient  and  distinguish 
ed  appellation  of  her  family,  to  adopt  one  which 
was  deemed  infamous  in  the  canton,  or,  if  some 
politic  expedient  were  found  to  avert  this  first  dis 
grace,  it  would  unavoidably  be  of  a  nature  to  at 
tract,  rather  than  to  avert,  the  attention  of  all  who 
knew  the  facts,  from  the  humiliating  character  of 
his  origin.  She  had  no  habitual  relief  against  the 
constant  action  of  her  thoughts,  for  the  sphere  of 
woman  narrows  the  affections  in  such  a  way  as 
to  render  them  most  dependent  on  the  little  acci 
dents  of  domestic  life;  she  could  not  close  her 
doors  against  communication  with  the  kinsmen  of 
her  husband,  should  it  be  his  pleasure  to  command 
or  his  feeling  to  desire  it ;  and  it  would  become 
obligatory  on  her  to  listen  to  the  still  but  never- 
ceasing  voice  of  duty,  and  to  forget,  at  his  request, 
that  she  had  ever  been  more  fortunate,  or  that  she 
was  born  for  better  hopes. 

We  do  not  say  that  all  these  calculations  crossed 
the  mind  of  the  musing  maiden,  though  she  cer 
tainly  had  a  general  and  vague  view  of  the  con 
sequences  that  were  likely  to  be  drawn  upon  her 
self  by  a  connexion  with  Sigismund.  She  sat  mo 
tionless,  buried  in  deep  thought,  long  after  his  dis 
appearance.  The  young  man  had  passed  by  the 
postern  around  the  base  of  the  castle,  and  was 
descending  the  mountain-side,  across  the  sloping 
meadows,  with  rapid  steps,  and  probably  for  the 
first  time  since  their  acquaintance  her  eye  followed 
his  manly  figure  vacantly  and  with  indifference. 


212  THE    HEADSMAN. 

Her  mind  was  too  intently  occupied  for  the 
usual  observation  of  the  senses.  The  whole  of 
that  grand  and  lovely  landscape  was  spread  before 
her  without  conveying  impressions,  as  we  gaze 
into  the  void  of  the  firmament  with  our  looks  on 
vacuum.  Sigismund  had  disappeared  among  the 
walls  of  the  vineyards,  when  she  arose,  and  drew 
such  a  sigh  as  is  apt  to  escape  us  after  long  and 
painful  meditation.  But  the  eyes  of  the  high- 
minded  girl  were  bright  and  her  cheek  flushed, 
while  the  whole  of  her  features  wore  an  expres 
sion  of  loftier  beauty  than  ordinarily  distinguished 
even  her  loveliness.  Her  own  resolution  was 
formed.  She  had  decided  with  the  rare  and  gen 
erous  self-devotion  of  a  female  heart  that  loves, 
and  which  can  love  in  its  freshness  and  purity  but 
once.  At  that  instant  footsteps  were  heard  in  the 
corridor,  and  the  three  old  nobles  whom  we  so 
lately  left  on  the  castle-terrace,  appeared  together 
in  the  knights'  hall. 

Melchior  de  Willading  approached  his  daughter 
with  a  joyous  face,  for  he  too  had  lately  gained 
what  he  conceived  to  be  a  glorious  conquest  over 
his  prejudices,  and  the  victory  put  him  in  excellent 
humor  with  himself. 

"  The  question  is  for  ever  decided,"  he  said,  kiss 
ing  the  burning  forehead  of  Adelheid  with  affec 
tion,  and  rubbing  his  hands,  in  the  manner  of  one 
who  was  glad  to  be  free  from  a  perplexing  doubt. 
"  These  good  friends  agree  with  me,  that,  in  a  case 
like  this,  it  becomes  even  our  birth  to  forget  the 
origin  of  the  youth.  He  who  has  saved  the  lives 
of  the  two  last  of  the  Willadings  at  least  deserves 
to  have  some  share  in  what  is  left  of  them.  Here 
is  my  good  Grimaldi,  too,  ready  to  beard  me  if  1 
will  not  consent  to  let  him  enrich  the  brave  fel 
low — as  if  we  were  beggars,  and  had  not  the 
means  of  supporting  our  kinsman  in  credit  at 


THE    HEADSMAIT.  213 

nome  But  we  will  not  be  indebted  even  to  so 
tried  a  friend  for  a  tittle  of  our  happiness.  The 
work  shall  be  all  our  own,  even  to  the  letters  of 
nobility,  which  I  shall  command  at  an  early  day 
from  Vienna ;  for  it  would  be  cruel  to  let  the  noble 
fellow  want  so  simple  an  advantage,  which  will  at 
once  raise  him  to  our  own  level,  and  make  him  as 
good — ay,  by  the  beard  of  Luther!  better  than 
the  best  man  in  Berne." 

"I  have  never  known  thee  niggardly  before, 
though  I  have  known  thee  often  well  intrenched 
behind  Swiss  frugality ;"  said  the  Signor  Grimaldi, 
laughing.  "  Thy  life,  my  dear  Melchior,  may 
have  excellent  value  in  thine  own  eyes,  but  I  am 
little  disposed  to  set  so  mean  a  price  on  my  own, 
as  thou  appearest  tc  .ink  it  should  command. 
Thou  hast  decided  T  , -  .,  I  will  say  nobly,  in  the 
best  meaning  of  the  word,  in  consenting  to  receive 
this  brave  Sigismund  as  a  son ;  but  thou  art  not  to 
think,  young  lady,  because  this  body  of  mine  is  get 
ting  the  worse  for  use,  that  I  hold  it  altogether 
worthless,  and  that  it  is  to  be  dragged  from  yonder 
lake  like  so  much  foul  linen,  and  no  questions  are 
to  be  asked  touching  the  manner  in  which  the  ser 
vice  has  been  done.  I  claim  to  portion  thy  hus 
band,  that  he  may  at  least  make  an  appearance 
that  becomes  the  son-in-law  of  Melchior  de  Willad- 
ing.  Am  I  of  no  value,  that  ye  treat  me  so  unce 
remoniously  as  to  say  I  shall  not  pay  for  my  own 
preservation  ?" 

"  Have  it  thine  own  way,  good  Gaetano— have 
it  as  thou  wilt,  so  thou  dost  but  leave  us  the 
youth—" 

"  Father—" 

"  I  will  have  no  maidenly  affectation,  Adelheid. 
I  expect  thee  to  receive  the  husband  we  offer  with 
as  good  a  grace  as  if  he  wore  a  crown.  It  has 
been  agreed  upon  between  us  that  Sigismund 


214  THE    HEADSMAN. 

Steinbach  is  to  be  my  son  ;  and  from  time  imme 
morial,  the  daughters  of  our  house  have  submitted, 
in  these  affairs,  to  what  has  been  advised  by  the 
wisdom  of  their  seniors,  as  became  their  sex  and 
inexperience." 

The  three  old  men  had  entered  the  hall  full  of 
good-humor,  and  it  would  have  been  sufficiently 
apparent,  by  the  manner  of  the  Baron  de  Willad- 
ing,  that  he  trifled  with  Adelheid,  had  it  not  been 
well  known  to  the  others  that  her  feelings  were 
chiefly  consulted  in  the  choice  that  had  just  been 
made. 

But,  notwithstanding  the  high  glee  in  which  the 
father  spoke,  the  pleasure  and  buoyancy  of  his 
manner  did  not  communicate  itself  to  the  child  as 
quickly  as  he  could  wish.  There  was  far  more 
than  virgin  embarrassment  in  the  mien  of  Adel 
heid.  Her  color  went  and  came,  and  her  look 
turned  from  one  to  the  other  painfully,  while  she 
struggled  to  speak.  The  Signor  Grimaldi  whis 
pered  to  his  companions,  and  Roger  de  Blonay 
discreetly  withdrew,  under  the  pretence  that  his 
services  were  needed  at  Vevey,  where  active  pre 
parations  were  making  for  the  Abbaye  des  Vigne- 
rons.  The  Genoese  would  then  have  followed  his 
example,  but  the  baron  held  his  arm,  while  he  turn 
ed  an  inquiring  eye  towards  his  daughter,  as  if 
commanding  her  to  deal  more  frankly  with  him. 

"  Father,"  said  Adelheid,  in  a  voice  that  shook, 
in  spite  of  the  effort  to  control  her  feelings,  "  I 
have  something  important  to  communicate,  before 
this  acceptance  of  Herr  Steinbach  is  a  matter 
'-revocably  determined." 

"  Speak  freely,  my  child ;  this  is  a  tried  friend, 
and  one  entitled  to  know  all  that  concerns  us,  es 
pecially  in  this  aftair.  Throwing  aside  all  pleas 
antry,  I  trust,  Adelheid,  that  we  are  to  have  no 
girlish  trifling  with  a  youth  like  Sigismund;  to 


THE    HEADSMAN.  215 

whom  we  owe  so  much,  even  to  our  lives,  and  in 
whose  behalf  we  should  be  ready  to  sacrifice  every 
feeling  of  prejudice,  or  habit — all  that  we  possess, 
ay,  even  to  our  pride." 

"All,  father?' 

"  I  have  said  all.  I  will  not  take  back  a  letter 
of  the  word,  though  it  should  rob  me  of  Willading, 
my  rank  in  the  canton,  and  an  ancient  name  to 
boot.  Am  I  not  right,  Gaetano  1  I  place  the  hap 
piness  of  the  boy  above  all  other  considerations, 
that  of  Adelheid  being  understood  to  be  so  inti 
mately  blended  with  his.  I  repeat  it,  therefore,  all." 

"  It  would  be  well  to  hear  what  the  young  lady 
has  to  say,  before  we  urge  this  affair  any  farther ;" 
said  the  Signor  Grimaldi,  who,  having  achieved  no 
conquest  over  himself,  was  not  quite  so  exuberant 
in  his  exultation  as  his  friend ;  observing  more 
calmly,  and  noting  what  he  saw  with  the  clearness 
of  a  cooler-headed  and  more  sagacious  man.  "  I 
am  much  in  error,  or  thy  daughter  has  that  which 
is  serious,  to  communicate." 

The  paternal  affection  of  Melchior  now  took  the 
alarm,  and  he  gave  an  eager  attention  to  his  child. 
Adelheid  returned  his  evident  solicitude  by  a  smile 
of  love,  but  its  painful  expression  was  so  unequivo 
cal  as  to  heighten  the  baron's  fears. 

"  Art  not  well,  love  ?  It  cannot  be  that  we  have 
been  deceived — that  some  peasant's  daughter  is 
thought  worthy  to  supplant  thee?  Ha! — Signor 
Grimaldi,  this  matter  begins,  in  sooth,  to  seem  of 
fensive  ; — but,  old  as  I  am — Well,  we  shall  never 
know  the  truth,  unless  thou  speakest  frankly — this 
is  a  rare  business,  after  all,  Gaetano — that  a  daugh 
ter  of  mine  should  be  repulsed  by  a  hind  !" 

Adelheid  made  an  imploring  gesture  for  her  fa 
ther  to  forbear,  while  she  resumed  her  seat  from 
farther  inability  to  stand.  The  two  anxious  old 
men  followed  her  example,  in  wondering  silence. 


216  THE    HEADSMAN. 

"  Thou  dost  both  the  honor  and  modesty  of  Si- 
gismund  great  injustice,  father;"  resumed  tho 
maiden,  after  a  pause,  and  speaking  with  a  calm 
ness  of  manner  that  surprised  even  herself.  "  If 
thou  and  this  excellent  and  tried  friend  will  give 
me  your  attention  for  a  few  minutes,  nothing  shall 
be  concealed." 

Her  companions  listened  in  wonder,  for  they 
plainly  saw  that  the  matter  was  more  grave  than 
either  had  at  first  imagined.  Adelheid  paused 
again,  to  summon  force  for  the  ungrateful  duty, 
and  then  she  succinctly,  but  clearly,  related  the 
substance  of  Sigismund's  communication.  Both 
the  listeners  eagerly  caught  each  syllable  that  fell 
from  the  quivering  lips  of  the  maiden,  for  she 
trembled,  notwithstanding  a  struggle  to  be  calm 
that  was  almost  superhuman,  and  when  her  voice 
ceased  they  gazed  at  each  other  like  men  sudden 
ly  astounded  by  some  dire  and  totally  unexpected 
calamity.  The  baron,  in  truth,  could  scarcely  be 
lieve  that  he  had  not  been  deceived  by  a  defective 
hearing,  for  age  had  begun  a  little  to  impair  that 
useful  faculty,  while  his  friend  admitted  the  words 
as  one  receives  impressions  of  the  most  revolting 
and  disheartening  nature. 

"  This  is  a  damnable  and  fearful  fact !"  muttered 
the  latter,  when  Adelheid  had  altogether  ceased  to 
speak. 

"  Did  she  say  that  Sigismund  is  the  son  of  Bal 
thazar,  the  public  headsman  of  the  canton !"  asked 
the  father  of  his  friend,  in  the  way  that  one  re 
luctantly  assures  himself  of  some  half-comprehend 
ed  and  unwelcome  truth, — "  of  Balthazar — of  tha 
family  accursed !" 

"  Such  is  the  parentage  it  hath  been  the  will  of 
God  to  bestow  on  the  preserver  of  our  lives/ 
meekly  answered  Adelheid. 

**  Hath  the  villain  dared  to  steal  into  my  family. 


THE   HEADSMAN.  217 

Circle,  concealing  this  disgusting  and  disgraceful 
fact ! — Hath  he  endeavored  to  engraft  the  impurity 
of  his  source  on  the  untarnished  stock  of  a  noble 
and  ancient  family !  There  is  something  exceeding 
mere  duplicity  in  this,  Signor  Grimaldi.  There  is 
a  dark  and  meaning  crime." 

"  There  is  that  which  much  exceeds  our  means 
of  remedying,  good  Melchior.  But  let  us  not 
rashly  blame  the  boy,  whose  birth  is  rather  to  be 
imputed  to  him  as  a  misfortune  than  as  a  crime. 
If  he  were  a  thousand  Balthazars,  he  has  saved  all 
our  lives !" 

"  Thou  sayest  true — thou  sayest  no  more  than 
the  truth.  Thou  wert  always  of  a  more  reasonable 
brain  than  I,  though  thy  more  southern  origin 
would  seem  to  contradict  it  Here,  then,  are  all 
our  fine  fancies  and  liberal  schemes  of  generosity 
blown  to  the  winds  !" 

"  That  is  not  so  evident,"  returned  the  Genoese, 
who  had  not  failed  the  while  to  study  the  counte 
nance  of  Adelheid,  as  if  he  would  fully  ascertain 
her  secret  wishes.  "  There  has  been  much  dis 
course,  fair  Adelheid,  between  thee  and  the  youth 
on  this  matter  1" 

"  Signore,  there  has.  I  was  about  to  communi 
cate  the  intentions  of  my  father ;  for  the  circum 
stances  in  which  we  were  placed,  the  weight  of 
our  many  obligations,  the  usual  distance  which 
rank  interposes  between  the  noble  and  the  simply 
born,  perhaps  justified  this  boldness  in  a  maiden," 
she  added,  though  the  tell-tale  blood  revealed  her 
shame.  "I  was  making  Sigismund  acquainted 
with  my  father's  wishes,  when  he  met  my  con 
fidence  by  the  avowal  which  I  have  just  related." 

"  He  deems  his  birth — ?"         •&• 

"  An  insuperable  barrier  to  the  connexion.  Si 
gismund  Steinbach,  though  so  little  favored  in  tho 
T 


218  THE    HEADSMAN 

accident  of  his  origin,  is  not  a  beggar  to  sue  for 
that  which  his  own  generous  feelings  would  con 
demn." 

"  And  thou  ?" 

Adelheid  lowered  her  eyes,  and  seemed  to  reflect 
on  the  nature  of  her  answer. 

"  Thou  wilt  pardon  this  curiosity,  which  may 
wear  too  much  the  aspect  of  unwarrantable  med 
dling,  but  my  age  and  ancient  friendship,  the  recen4 
occurrences,  and  a  growing  love  for  all  that  con 
cerns  thee,  must  plead  my  excuses.  Unless  we 
know  thy  wishes,  daughter,  neither  Melchior  nor 
I  can  act  as  we  might  wish  1" 

Adelheid  was  long  and  thoughtfully  silent. 
Though  every  sentiment  of  her  heart,  and  all  that 
inclination  which  is  the  offspring  of  the  warm  and 
poetical  illusions  of  love,  tempted  her  to  declare  a 
readiness  to  sacrifice  every  other  consideration  to 
the  engrossing  and  pure  affections  of  woman, 
opinion  with  its  iron  gripe  still  held  her  in  suspense 
on  the  propriety  of  braving  the  prejudices  of  the 
world.  The  timidity  of  that  sex  which,  however 
ready  to  make  an  offering  of  its  most  cherished 
privileges  on  the  shrine  of  connubial  tenderness, 
shrinks  with  a  keen  sensitiveness  from  the  appear 
ance  of  a  forward  devotion  to  the  other,  had  its 
weight  also,  nor  could  a  child  so  pious  altogether 
forget  the  effect  her  decision  might  have  on  the 
future  happiness  of  her  sole  surviving  parent. 

The  Genoese  understood  the  struggle,  though  he 
foresaw  its  termination,  and  he  resumed  the  dis 
course  himself,  pa  tly  with  the  kind  wish  to  give 
the  maiden  time  to  reflect  maturely  before  she  an 
swered,  and  partly  following  a  very  natural  train 
of  his  own  thoughts. 

"  There  is  naught  sure  in  this  fickle  state  of  be 
ing;"  he  continued.  "Neither  the  throne,  noi 
riches,  nor  health,  nor  even  the  sacred  affections, 


THE    HEADSMAN.  219 

are  secure  against  change.  Well  may  we  pause 
then  and  weigh  every  chance  of  happiness,  ere  we 
take  the  last  and  final  step  in  any  great  or  novel 
measure.  Thou  knowest  the  hopes  with  which  I 
entered  life,  Melchior,  and  the  chilling  disappoint 
ments  with  which  my  career  is  likely  to  close.  No 
youth  was  born  to  fairer  hopes,  nor  did  Italy  know 
one  more  joyous  than  myself,  the  morning  I  re 
ceived  the  hand  of  Angiolina ;  and  yet  two  short 
years  saw  all  those  hopes  withered,  this  joyousness 
gone,  and  a  cloud  thrown  across  my  prospects 
which  has  never  disappeared.  A  widowed  hus 
band,  a  childless  father,  may  not  prove  a  bad  coun 
sellor,  my  friend,  in  a  moment  when  there  is  so 
much  doubt  besetting  thee  and  thine." 

"  Thy  mind  naturally  returns  to  thine  own  un 
happy  child,  poor  Gaetano,  when  there  is  so  mucn 
question  of  the  fortunes  of  mine." 

The  Signer  Grimaldi  turned  his  look  on  his 
friend,  but  the  gleam  of  anguish,  which  was  wont 
to  pass  athwart  his  countenance  when  his  mind 
was  drawn  powerfully  towards  that  painful  subject, 
betrayed  that  he  was  not  just  then  able  to  reply. 

"  We  see  in  all  these  events,"  continued  the 
Genoese,  as  if  too  full  of  his  subject  to  restrain  his 
words,  "  the  unsearchable  designs  of  Providence. 
Here  is  a  youth  who  is  all  that  a  father  could  desire  ; 
worthy  in  every  sense  to  be  the  depository  of  a 
beloved  and  only  daughter's  weal ;  manly,  brave, 
virtuous,  and  noble  in  all  but  the  chances  of  blood, 
and  yet  so  accursed  by  the  world's  opinion  that 
we  might  scarce  venture  to  name  him  as  the  as 
sociate  of  an  idle  hour,  were  the  fact  known  that 
he  is  the  man  he  has  declared  himself  to  be !" 

"  You  put  the  matter  in  strong  language,  Signor 
Grimaldi ;"  said  Adelheid,  starting. 

"  A  youth  of  a  form  so  commanding  that  a  king 


220  THE    HEADSMAN. 

might  exult  at  the  prospect  of  his  crown  descend 
ing  on  such  a  head;  of  a  perfection  of  strength 
and  masculine  excellence  that  will  almost  justify 
the  dangerous  exultation  of  health  and  vigor ;  of 
a  reason  that  is  riper  than  his  years ;  of  a  virtue 
of  proof;  of  all  qualities  that  we  respect,  and  which 
come  of  study  and  not  of  accident,  and  yet  a 
youth  condemned  of  men  te  live  under  the  re 
proach  of  their  hatred  and  contempt,  or  to  con 
ceal  for  ever  the  name  of  the  mother  that  bore 
him!  Compare  this  Sigismund  with  others  that 
may  be  named ;  with  the  high-born  and  pampered 
heir  of  some  illustrious  house,  who  riots  in  men's 
respect  while  he  shocks  men's  morals ;  who  pre 
sumes  on  privilege  to  trifle  with  the  sacred  and 
the  just ;  who  lives  for  self,  and  that  in  base  enjoy 
ments;  who  is  fitter  to  be  the  lunatic's  companion 
than  any  other's,  though  destined  to  rule  in  the 
council;  who  is  the  type  of  the  wicked,  though 
called  to  preside  over  the  virtuous;  who  cannot 
be  esteemed,  though  entitled  to  be  honored ;  and 
let  us  ask  why  this  is  so,  what  is  the  wisdom  which 
hath  drawn  differences  so  arbitrary,  and  which, 
while  proclaiming  the  necessity  of  justice,  so  openly, 
so  wantonly,  and  so  ingeniously  sets  its  plainest 
dictates  at  defiance  ?" 

"  Signore,  it  should  not  be  thus — God  never  in 
tended  it  should  be  so  !" 

"  While  every  principle  would  seem  to  say  that 
each  must  stand  or  fall  by  his  own  good  or  evil 
deeds,  that  men  are  to  be  honored  as  they  merit; 
every  device  of  human  institutions  is  exerted  to 
achieve  the  opposite.  This  is  exalted,  because  his 
ancestry  is  noble ;  that  condemned  for  no  better 
reason  than  that  he  is  born  vile.  Melchior !  Mel- 
chior!  our  reason  is  unhinged  by  subtleties,  and 
our  boasted  philosophy  and  right  are  no  more  than 


THE    HEADSMAN.  221 

unblushing  mockeries,  at  which  the  very  devils 
augh!" 

"  And  yet  the  commandments  of  God  tell  us, 
Gaetano,  that  the  sins  of  the  father  shall  be  visited 
on  the  descendants  from  generation  to  generation. 
You  of  Rome  pay  not  this  close  attention,  per 
haps,  to  sacred  writ,  but  I  have  heard  it  said  that 
we  have  not  in  Berne  a  law  for  which  good  war 
ranty  cannot  be  found  in  the  holy  volume  itself." 

"  Ay,  there  are  sophists  to  prove  all  that  they 
wish.  The  crimes  and  follies  of  the  ancestor  leave 
their  physical,  or  even  their  moral  taint,  on  the 
child,  beyond  a  question,  good  Melchior ; — but  is 
not  this  sufficient  ?  Are  we  blasphemously,  even 
impiously,  to  pretend  that  God  has  not  sufficiently 
provided  for  the  punishment  of  the  breaches  of  his 
wise  ordinances,  that  we  must  come  forward  to 
second  them  by  arbitrary  and  heartless  rules  of 
our  own?  What  crime  is  imputable  to  the  family 
of  this  youth  beyond  that  of  poverty,  which  prob 
ably  drove  the  first  of  his  race  to  the  execution  of 
their  revolting  office.  There  is  little  in  the  mien 
or  morals  of  Sigismund  to  denote  the  visitations 
of  Heaven's  wise  decrees,  but  there  is  everything 
in  his  present  situation  to  proclaim  the  injustice  of 
man." 

"  And  dost  thou,  Gaetano  Grimaldi,  the  ally  of 
so  many  ancient  and  illustrious  houses — thou,  Gae 
tano  Grimaldi,  the  honored  of  Genoa — dost  thou 
counsel  me  to  give  my  only  child,  the  heiress  of 
my  lands  and  name,  to  the  son  of  the  public  exe 
cutioner,  nay,  to  the  very  heritor  of  his  disgusting 
duties  !" 

"  There  thou  hast  me  on  the  hip,  Melchior ;  the 
question  is  put  strongly,  and  needs  reflection  for 
an  answer.  Oh !  why  is  this  Balthazar  so  rich  in 
offspring,  and  I  so  poor  ?  But  we  will  not  press  the 
matter ;  it  is  an  affair  of  many  sides,  and  should 
T2 


222  THE    HEADSMAN. 

be  jrdged  by  us  as  men,  as  well  as  nobles.  Daugh 
ter,  thou  hast  just  learned,  by  the  words  of  thy 
father,  that  I  am  against  thee,  by  position  and  her 
itage,  for,  while  1  condemn  the  principle  of  this 
wrong,  I  cannot  overlook  its  effects,  and  never  be 
fore  did  a  case  of  as  tangled  difficulty,  one  in  which 
right  was  so  palpably  opposed  by  opinion,  present 
itself  for  my  judgment.  Leave  us,  that  we  may 
command  ourselves ;  the  required  decision  exacts 
much  care,  and  greater  mastery  of  ourselves  than 
I  can  exercise,  with  that  sweet  pale  face  of  thine 
appealing  so  eloquently  to  my  heart  in  behalf  of 
the  noble  boy." 

Adelheid  arose,  and  first  offering  her  marble- 
like  brow  to  the  salutations  of  both  her  parents, 
for  the  ancient  friendship  and  strong  sympathies 
of  the  Genoese,  gave  him  a  claim  to  this  appella 
tion  in  her  affections  at  least,  she  silently  withdrew. 
As  to  the  conversation  which  ensued  between  the 
old  nobles,  we  momentarily  drop  the  curtain,  to 
proceed  to  other  incidents  of  our  narra  ive.  It 
may,  however,  be  generally  observed  that  the  day 
massed  quietly  away,  without  the  occurrence  of 
any  event  which  it  is  necessary  to  relate,  all  in 
the  chateau,  with  the  exception  of  the  travellers, 
being  principally  occupied  by  the  approaching  fes 
tivities.  The  Signor  Grimaldi  sought  an  occasion 
to  have  a  long  and  confidential  communication  with 
Sigismund,  who,  on  his  part,  carefully  avoided  be 
ing  seen  again  by  her  who  had  so  great  an  influ 
ence  on  his  feelings,  until  both  had  time  to  recovef 
'heir  se.f-command. 


THE    HEADSMAN.  223 


CHAPTER  XIIL 

Hold,  hurt  him  not,  for  God's  sake ; — he  is  mad. 

COMEDY  OF  ERRORS. 

THE  festivals  of  Bacchus  are  supposed  to  have 
been  the  models  of  those  long-continued  festivities, 
which  are  still  known  in  Switzerland  by  the  name 
of  the  Abbaye  des  Vignerons. 

This  fete  was  originally  of  a  simple  and  rustic 
character,  being  far  from  possessing  the  labored 
ceremonies  and  classical  allegories  of  a  later  day, 
the  severity  of  monkish  discipline  most  probably 
prohibiting  the  introduction  of  allusions  to  the 
Heathen  mythology,  as  was  afterwards  practised ; 
for  certain  religious  communities  that  were  the 
proprietors  of  large  vineyards  in  that  vicinity  ap 
pear  to  have  been  the  first  known  patrons  of  the 
custom.  So  long  as  a  severe  simplicity  reigned 
in  the  festivities,  they  were  annually  observed;  but, 
when  heavier  expenses  and  greater  preparations 
became  necessary,  longer  intervals  succeeded ;  the 
Abbaye,  at  first,  causing  its  festival  to  become 
triennial,  and  subsequently  extending  the  period  of 
vacation  to  six  years.  As  greater  time  was  ob 
tained  for  the  collection  of  means  and  inclination, 
the  festival  gained  in  eclat,  until  it  came  at  length 
to  be  a  species  of  jubilee,  to  which  the  idle,  the 
curious,  and  the  observant  of  all  the  adjacent  ter 
ritories  were  accustomed  to  resort  in  crowds.  The 
town  of  Vevey  profited  by  the  circumstance,  the 
usual  motive  of  interest  being  enlisted  In  behalf  ot 
the  usage,  and,  down  to  the  epoch  of  the  great 
European  revolution,  there  would  seem  to  have 
been  an  unbroken  succession  of  the  fetes.  The 
acoasion  to  which  there  has  so  often  been  allusion, 


224  THE    HEADSMAN. 

was  one  of  the  regular  and  long-expected  festivals; 
and,  as  report  had  spoken  largely  of  the  prepara 
tions,  the  attendance  was  even  more  numerous 
than  usual. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  second  day  after 
the  arrival  of  our  travellers  at  the  neighboring 
castle  of  Blonay,  a  body  of  men,  dressed  in  the 
guise  of  halberdiers,  a  species  of  troops  then  known 
in  most  of  the  courts  of  Europe,  marched  into  the 
great  square  of  Vevey,  taking  possession  of  all  its 
centre,  and  posting  its  sentries  in  such  a  manner  as 
to  interdict  the  usual  passages  of  the  place.  This 
was  the  preliminary  step  in  the  coming  festivities; 
for  this  was  the  spot  chosen  for  the  scene  of  most 
of  the  ceremonies  of  the  day.  The  curious  were 
not  long  behind  the  guards,  and  by  the  time  the 
sun  had  fairly  arisen  above  the  hills  of  Fribourg, 
some  thousands  of  spectators  were  pressing  in  and 
about  the  avenues  of  the  square,  and  boats  from 
the  opposite  shores  of  Savoy  were  arriving  at  each 
instant,  crowded  to  the  water's  edge  with  peasants 
and  their  families. 

Near  the  upper  end  of  the  square,  capacious 
scaffoldings  had  been  erected  to  contain  those  who 
were  privileged  by  rank,  or  those  who  were  able 
to  buy  honors  with  the  vulgar  medium;  while 
humbler  preparations  for  the  less  fortunate  com 
pleted  the  three  sides  of  a  space  that  was  in  the 
form  of  a  parallelogram,  and  which  was  intended 
to  receive  the  actors  in  the  coming  scene.  The 
side  next  the  water  was  unoccupied,  though  a 
forest  of  latine  spars,  and  a  platform  of  decks,  more 
than  supplied  the  deficiency  of  scaffolding  and 
room.  Music  was  heard,  from  time  to  time,  inter 
mingled  or  relieved  by  those  wild  Alpine  cries 
which  characterize  the  songs  of  the  mountaineers. 
The  authorities  of  the  town  were  early  afoot,  and, 
as  is  customary  with  the  important  agents  of  smafl 


THE    HEADSMAW.  225 

concerns,  they  were  exercising  their  municipal 
function  with  a  bustle,  which  of  itself  contained 
reasonable  evidence  that  they  were  of  no  great 
moment,  and  a  gravity  of  mien  with  which  the 
chiefs  of  a  state  might  have  believed  it  possible  to 
dispense. 

The  estrade,  or  stage,  erected  for  the  superior 
class  of  spectators  was  decorated  with  flags,  and 
a  portion  near  its  centre  had  a  fair  display  of 
tapestry  and  silken  hangings.  The  chateau-look 
ing  edifice  near  the  bottom  of  the  square,  and 
whose  windows,  according  to  a  common  Swiss 
and  German  usage,  showed  the  intermingled  stripes 
that  denoted  it  to  be  public  property,  were  also  gay 
in  colors,  for  the  ensign  of  the  Republic  floated 
over  its  pointed  roofs,  and  rich  silks  waved  against 
the  walls.  This  was  the  official  residence  of  Peter 
Hofmeister,  the  functionary  whom  we  have  already 
introduced  to  the  reader. 

An  hour  later,  a  shot  gave  the  signal  for  the 
various  troupes  to  appear,  and  soon  after,  parties 
of  the  different  actors  arrived  in  the  square.  As 
the  little  processions  approached  to  the  sound  of 
the  trumpet  or  horn,  curiosity  became  more  active, 
and  the  populace  was  permitted  to  circulate  in 
those  portions  of  the  square  that  were  not  imme 
diately  required  for  other  purposes.  About  this 
time,  a  solitary  individual  appeared  on  the  stage. 
He  seemed  to  enjoy  peculiar  privileges,  not  only 
from  his  situation,  but  by  the  loud  salutations  and 
noisy  welcomes  with  which  he  was  greeted  from 
ihe  crowd  below.  It  was  the  good  monk  of  St. 
Bernard,  who,  with  a  bare  headend  a  joyous  con 
tented  face,  answered  to  the  several  calls  of  the 
peasants,  most  of  whom  had  either  bestowed  hos 
pitality  "on  the  worthy  Augustine,  in  his  many 
journeyings  among  the  charitable  of  the  lower 
world,  or  had  received  it  at  his  hands  in  their  fre- 


226  THE    HEADSMAN. 

quent  passages  of  the  mountain.  These  recogni 
tions  and  greetings  spoke  well  for  humanity  ;  for 
in  every  instance  they  wore  the  air  of  cordial 
good- will,  and  a  readiness  to  do  honor  to  the  benev 
olent  character  of  the  religious  community  that 
was  represented  in  the  person  of  its  clavier  or 
steward. 

"  Good  luck  to  thee,  Father  Xavier,  and  a  rich 
quele"  cried  a  burly  peasant ;  "  thou  hast  of  late 
unkindly  forgotten  Benoit  Emery  and  his.  When 
did  a  clavier  of  St.  Bernard  ever  knock  at  my  door, 
and  go  away  with  an  empty  hand?  We  look  for 
thee,  reverend  monk,  with  thy  vessel,  to-morrow ; 
for  the  summer  has  been  hot,  the  grapes  are  rich, 
and  the  wine  is  beginning  to  run  freely  in  our  tubs. 
Thou  shalt  dip  without  any  to  look  at  thee,  and, 
take  it  of  which  color  thou  wilt,  thou  shalt  take  it 
with  a  welcome." 

"  Thanks,  thanks,  generous  Benoit ;  St.  Augus 
tine  will  remember  the  favor,  and  thy  fruitful  vines 
will  be  none  the  poorer  for  thy  generosity.  We 
ask  only  that  we  may  give,  and  on  none  do  we 
bestow  more  willingly  than  on  the  honest  Vaudois 
whom  may  the  saints  keep  in  mind  for  their  kind 
ness  and  good-will !" 

"Nay, I  will  have  none  of  thy  saints;  thou 
knowest  we  are  St.  Calvin's  men  in  Vaud,  if  there 
must  be  any  canonized.  But  what  is  it  to  us  thai 
thou  hearest  mass,  while  we  love  the  simple  wor 
ship!  Are  we  not  equally  men?  Does  not  the 
frost  nip  the  members  of  Catholic  and  Protestant 
the  same  ?  or  does  the  avalanche  respect  one  more 
than  the  other  ?  I  never  knew  thee,  or  any  of  thy 
convent,  question  the  frozen  traveller  of  his  faith, 
but  ail  are  fed,  and  warmed,  and,  at  need,  admin 
istered  to  from  the  pharmacy,  with  brotherly  care, 
and  as  Christians  merit.  Whatever  thou  mayest 
think  of  the  state  of  our  souls,  thou  on  thy  moun- 


THE    HEADSMAN.  227 

tain  there,  no  one  will  deny  thy  tender  services  to 
our  bodies.  Say  I  well,  neighbors,  or  is  this  only 
the  foolish  gossip  of  old  Benoit,  who  has  crossed 
the  Col  so  often,  that  he  has  forgotten  that  our 
churches  have  quarrelled,  and  that  the  learned 
will  have  us  go  to  heaven  by  different  roads  ?" 

A  general  movement  among  the  people,  and  a 
tossing  of  hands,  appeared  in  support  of  the  truth 
and  popularity  of  the  honest  peasant's  sentiments, 
for  in  that  age  the  hospice  of  St,  Bernard,  more 
exclusively  a  refuge  for  the  real  and  poor  travel 
ler  than  at  present,  enjoyed  a  merited  reputation 
in  all  the  country  round, 

"  Thou  shalt  always  be  vvelcome  on  the  pass, 
thou  and  thy  friends,  and  all  others  in  the  shape 
of  men,  without  other  interference  in  thy  opinions 
than  secret  prayers ;"  returned  the  good-humored 
and  happy-looking  clavier,  whose  round  contented 
face  shone  partly  in  habitual  joy,  partly  in  gratifi 
cation  at  this  public  testimonial  in  favor  of  the 
brotherhood,  and  a  little  in  satisfaction  perhaps  at 
the  promise  of  an  ample  addition  to  the  convent's 
stores;  for  the  community  of  St.  Bernard,  while 
so  much  was  going  out,  had  a  natural  and  justifia 
ble  desire  to  see  some  return  for  its  incessant  and 
unwearied  liberality.  "  Thou  wilt  not  deny  us  the 
happiness  of  praying  for  those  we  love,  though  it 
happen  to  be  in  a  manner  different  from  that  in 
which  they  ask  blessings  for  themselves." 

"  Have  it  thine  own  way,  good  canon ;  I  am 
none  of  those  who  are  ready  to  refuse  a  favor 
because  it  savors  of  Rome.  But  what  has  be 
come  of  our  friend  Uberto?  He  rarely  comes 
into  the  valleys,  that  we  are  not  anxious  to  see  his 
glossy  coat." 

The  Augustine  gave  the  customary  call,  and  the 
mastiff  mounted  the  stage  with  a  grave  deliberate 
ttep,  as  if  conscious  of  the  dignity  and  usefulness 


228  THE    HEADSMAN. 

of  the  life  he  led,  and  like  a  dog  accustomed  to 
the  friendly  notice  of  man.  The  appearance  of 
this  well-known  and  celebrated  brute  caused  an 
other  stir  in  the  throng,  many  pressing  upon  the 
guards  to  get  a  nearer  view,  and  a  few  casting 
fragments  of  food  from  their  wallets,  as  tokens  of 
gratitude  and  regard.  In  the  midst  of  this  little 
by-play  of  good  feeling,  a  dark  shaggy  animal 
leaped  upon  the  scaffolding,  and  very  coolly  com 
menced,  with  an  activity  that  denoted  the  influence 
of  the  keen  mountain  air  on  his  appetite,  picking 
up  the  different  particles  of  meat  that  had,  as  yet, 
escaped  the  eye  of  Uberto.  The  intruder  was 
received  much  in  the  manner  that  an  unpopular  or 
an  offending  actor  is  made  to  undergo  the  hos 
tilities  of  pit  and  galleries,  to  revenge  some  slight 
or  neglect  for  which  he  has  forgotten  or  refused 
to  atone.  In  other  words,  he  was  incontinently 
and  mercilessly  pelted  with  such  missiles  as  first 
presented  themselves.  The  unknown  animal,  which 
the  reader,  however,  will  not  be  slow  in  recogniz 
ing  to  be  the  water-dog  of  II  Maledetto,  received 
these  unusual  visitations  with  some  surprise,  and 
rather  awkwardly ;  for,  in  his  proper  sphere,  Net- 
tuno  had  been  quite  as  much  accustomed  to  meet 
with  demonstrations  of  friendship  from  the  race 
he  so  faithfully  served,  as  any  of  the  far-famed 
and  petted  mastiffs  of  the  convent.  After  dodging 
sundry  stones  and  clubs,  as  well  as  a  pretty  close 
attention  to  the  principal  matter  in  hand  would  al 
low,  and  with  a  dexterity  that  did  equal  credit  to 
his  coolness  and  muscle,  a  missile  of  formidable 
weight  took  the  unfortunate  follower  of  Ma  so  in 
the  side,  and  sent  him  howling  from  the  stage.  At 
the  next  instant,  his  master  was  at  the  throat  of 
the  offender,  throttling  him  till  he  was  black  in  the 
"ace. 
The  unlucky  stone  had  come  from  Conrad.  For 


THE   HEADSMAN.  229 

getful  of  his  assumed  character,  he  had  joined  in 
the  hue  and  cry  against  a  dog  whose  character 
and  service  should  have  been  sufficiently  known 
to  him,  at  least,  to  prove  his  protection,  and  had* 
given  the  crudest  blow  of  all.     It  has  been  al 
ready  seen  that  there  was  little  friendship  between 
Maso  and  the  pilgrim,  for  the  former  appeared  to 
have  an  instinctive  dislike  of  the  latter's  calling, 
and  this  little  occurrence  was  not  of  a  character 
likely  to  restore  the  peace  between  them. 

"Thou,  too!"  cried  the  Italian,  whose  blood  had 
mounted  at  the  first  attack  on  his  faithful  follower, 
and  which  fairly  boiled  when  he  witnessed  the 
cowardly  and  wanton  conduct  of  this  new  assail 
ant — "  art  not  satisfied  with  feigning  prayers  and 
godliness  with  the  credulous,  but  thou  must  even 
feign  enmity  to  my  dog,  because  it  is  the  fashion 
to  praise  the  cur  of  St.  Bernard  at  the  expense  of 
all  other  brutes  !  Reptile ! — dost  not  dread  the 
arm  of  an  honest  man,  when  raised  against  thee  in 
just  anger?" 

"  Friends — Ve vaisans  —  honorable  citizens  !" 
gasped  the  pilgrim,  as  the  gripe  of  Maso  permit 
ted  breath.  "  I  am  Conrad,  a  poor,  miserable,  re 
pentant  pilgrim — Will  ye  see  me  murdered  for  a 
brute?" 

Such  a  contest  could  not  continue  long  in  such  a 
place.  At  first  the  pressure  of  the  curious,  and 
the  great  density  of  the  crowd,  rather  favored  the 
attack  of  the  mariner ;  but  in  the  end  they  proved 
nis  enemies  by  preventing  the  possibility  of  escap 
ing  from  those  who  were  especially  charged  with 
the  care  of  the  public  peace.  Luckily  for  Conrad, 
for  passion  had  fairly  blinded  Maso  to  the  conse 
quences  of  his  fury,  the  halberdiers  soon  forced 
their  way  into  the  centre  of  the  living  mass,  and 
they  succeeded  in  seasonably  rescuing  him  from 
the  deadly  gripe  of  his  assailant.  II  Maledetto 


230  THE    HEADSMAN. 

trembled  with  the  reaction  of  this  hot  sally,  the 
moment  his  gripe  was  forcibly  released,  and  he 
would  have  disappeared  as  soon  as  possible,  had 
it  been  the  pleasure  of  those  into  whose  hands  he 
had  fallen  to  permit  so  politic  a  step.  But  now 
commenced  the  war  of  words,  and  the  clamor  o 
voices,  which  usually  succeed,  as  well  as  precede, 
all  contests  of  a  popular  nature.  The  officer  in 
charge  of  this  portion  of  the  square  questioned ; 
twenty  answered  in  a  breath,  not  only  drowning 
each  other's  voices,  but  effectually  contradicting 
all  that  was  said  in  the  way  of  explanation.  One 
maintained  tnat  Conrad  had  not  been  content  with 
attacking  Maso's  dog,  but  that  he  had  followed  up 
the  blow  by  offering  a  personal  indignity  to  the 
master  himself;  this  was  the  publican  in  whose 
house  the  mariner  had  taken  up  his  abode,  and  in 
which  he  had  been  sufficiently  liberal  in  his  expen 
diture  fairly  to  entitle  him  to  the  hospitable  sup 
port  of  its  landlord.  Another  professed  his  readi 
ness  to  swear  that  the  dog  was  the  property  of  the 
pilgrim,  being  accustomed  to  carry  his  w»Uet,  and 
that  Maso,  owing  to  an  ancient  grudge  against 
both  master  and  beast,  had  hurled  the  stoLe  which 
sent  the  animal  away  howling,  and  had  resented  a 
mild  remonstrance  of  its  owner  in  the  extraordi 
nary  manner  that  all  had  seen.  This  witness  was 
the  Neapolitan  juggler,  Pippo,  who  had  much  at 
tached  himself  to  the  person  of  Conrad  since  the 
adventure  of  the  bark,  and  who  was  both  ready 
and  willing  to  affirm  anything  in  behalf  of  a  friend 
who  had  so  evident  need  of  his  testimony,  if  it 
were  only  on  the  score  of  boon-companionship. 
A  third  declared  that  the  dog  belonged  truly  to  the 
Italian,  that  the  stone  had  been  really  hurled  by 
one  who  stood  near  the  pilgrim,  who  had  been 
wrongfully  accused  of  the  offence  by  Maso ;  that 
the  latter  had  made  his  attack  under  a  false  im- 


THE    HEADSMAN  231 

pression,  and  richly  merited  punishment  for  the 
unceremonious  manner  in  which  he  had  stopped 
Conrad's  breath.  This  witness  was  perfectly  hon 
est,  but  of  a  vulgar  and  credulous  mind.  He  at 
tributed  the  original  offence  to  one  near  that  hap 
pened  to  have  a  bad  name,  and  who  was  very  lia 
ble  to  father  every  sin  that,  by  possibility,  could  be 
laid  at  his  door,  as  well  as  some  that  could  not. 
On  the  other  hand,  he  had  also  been  duped  that 
morning  by  the  pilgrim's  superabundant  profes 
sions  of  religious  zeal,  a  circumstance  that  of  itself 
would  have  prevented  him  from  detecting  Conrad's 
arm  in  the  air  as  it  cast  the  stone,  and  which 
served  greatly  to  increase  his  certainty  that  the  first 
offence  came  from  the  luckless  wight  just  alluded 
to ;  since  they  who  discriminate  under  general 
convictions  and  popular  prejudices,  usually  heap 
all  the  odium  they  pertinaciously  withhold  from  the 
lucky  and  the  favored,  on  those  who  seem  fated  by 
general  consent  to  be  the  common  target  of  the 
world's  darts. 

The  officer,  by  the  time  he  had  deliberately 
heard  the  three  principal  witnesses,  together  with 
the  confounding  explanations  of  those  who  pro 
fessed  to  be  only  half-informed  in  the  matter,  was 
utterly  at  a  loss  to  decide  which  had  been  right 
and  which  wrong.  He  came,  therefore,  to  the 
safe  conclusion  to  send  all  the  parties  to  the  guard 
house,  including  the  witnesses,  being  quite  sure 
that  he  had  hit  on  an  effectual  method  of  visiting 
the  true  criminal  with  punishment,  and  of  admon 
ishing  all  those  who  gave  evidence  in  future  to 
have  a  care  of  the  manner  in  which  they  contra 
dicted  each  other.  Just  as  this  equitable  decision 
was  pronounced,  the  sound  of  a  trumpet  proclaim 
ed  the  approach  of  a  division  of  the  principal  mum 
mers,  if  so  irreverent  a  term  can  be  applied  to  men 
engaged  in  a  festival  as  justly  renowned  as  that  oi 


232  THE    HEADSMAN. 

the  vine-dressers.  This  announcement  greatly 
quickened  the  steps  of  Justice,  for  they  who  were 
charged  with  the  execution  of  her  decrees  felt  the 
necessity  of  being  prompt,  under  the  penalty  of 
losing  an  interesting  portion  of  the  spectacle. 
\ctuated  by  this  new  impulse,  which,  if  not  as 
respectable,  was  quite  as  strong,  as  the  desire  to 
do  right,  the  disturbers  of  the  peace,  even  to  those 
who  had  shown  a  quarrelsome  temper  by  telling 
stories  that  gave  each  other  the  lie,  were  hurried 
away  in  a  body,  and  the  public  was  left  in  the  en 
joyment  of  that  tranquillity  which,  in  these  peril 
ous  times  of  revolution  and  changes,  is  thought  to 
to  be  so  necessary  to  its  dignity,  so  especially 
favorable  to  commerce,  and  so  grateful  to  those 
whose  duty  it  is  to  preserve  the  public  peace  with 
as  little  inconvenience  to  themselves  as  possible. 

A  blast  of  the  trumpet  was  the  signal  for  a  more 
general  movement,  for  it  announced  the  commence 
ment  of  the  ceremonies.  As  it  will  be  presently 
necessary  to  speak  of  the  different  personages  who 
were  represented  on  this  joyous  occasion,  we  shall 
only  say  here,  that  group  after  group  of  the  actors 
came  into  the  square,  each  party  marching  to  the 
sound  of  music  from  its  particular  point  of  rendez 
vous  to  the  common  centre.  The  stage  now  began 
to  fill  with  the  privileged,  among  whom  were  many 
of  the  high  aristocracy  of  the  ruling  canton,  most 
of  its  officials,  who  were  too  dignified  to  be  more 
than  complacent  spectators  of  revels  like  these, 
many  nobles  of  mark  from  France  and  Italy,  a 
few  travellers  from  England,  for  in  that  age  Eng 
land  was  deemed  a  distant  country  and  sent  forth 
but  a  few  of  her  elite  to  represent  her  on  such 
occasions,  most  of  those  from  the  adjoining  terri 
tories  who  could  afford  the  time  and  cost,  and  who 
by  rank  or  character  were  entitled  to  the  distinc 
tion,  and  the  wives  and  families  of  the  local  officers 


THE    HEADSMAN.  233 

who  happened  to  be  engaged  as  actors  in  the  re 
presentation.  By  the  time  the  different  parts  of  the 
principal  procession  were  assembled  in  the  square, 
all  the  seats  of  the  estrade  were  crowded,  with 
the  exception  of  those  reserved  for  the  bailiff  and 
his  immediate  friends. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

So  once  were  ranged  the  sons  of  ancient  Rome, 
A  noble  show !  While  Roscius  trod  the  stage. 

COWPER. 

THE  day  was  not  yet  far  advanced,  when  all 
the  component  parts  of  the  grand  procession  had 
arrived  in  the  square.  Shortly  after,  a  flourish  of 
clarions  gave  notice  of  the  approach  of  the  authori 
ties.  First  came  the  bailiff,  filled  with  the  dignity 
of  station,  and  watching,  with  a  vigilant  but  covert 
eye,  every  indication  of  feeling  that  might  prove 
of  interest  to  his  employers,  even  while  he  most 
affected  sympathy  with  the  occasion  and  self-aban 
donment  to  the  follies  of  the  hour;  for  Peter  Hof- 
meister  owed  his  long-established  favor  with  the 
biirgerschaft  more  to  a  never-slumbering  regard 
to  its  exclusive  interests  and  its  undivided  supre 
macy,  than  to  any  particular  skill  in  the  art  of  ren 
dering  men  comfortable  and  happy.  Next  to  the 
worthy  bailiff,  for  apart  from  an  indomitable  reso 
lution  to  maintain  the  authority  of  his  masters,  for 
good  or  for  evil,  the  Herr  Hofmeister  merited  the 
appellation  of  a  worthy  man,  came  Roger  de  Bio- 
nay  and  his  guest  the  Baron  de  Willading,  march 
ing,  pan  passu,  at  the  side  of  the  representative  oi 
Berne  himself.  There  might  have  been  some 
U2 


THE    HEADSMAN. 


question  how  far  the  bailiff  was  satisfied  with  this 
arrangement  of  the  difficult  point  of  etiquette,  for 
he  issued  from  his  own  gate  with  a  sort  of  side 
long  movement  that  kept  him  nearly  confronted 
to  the  Signor  Grimaldi,  though  it  left  him  the 
means  of  choosing  his  path  and  of  observing  the 
aspect  of  things  -in  the  crowd.  At  any  rate,  the 
Genoese,  though  apparently  occupying  a  seconda 
ry  station,  had  no  grounds  to  complain  of  indiffer 
ence  to  his  presence.  Most  of  the  observances 
and  not  a  few  of  the  sallies  of  honest  Peter,  who 
had  some  local  reputation  as  a  joker  and  a  bel 
esprit,  as  is  apt  to  be  the  case  with  your  municipal 
magistrate,  more  especially  when  he  holds  his 
authority  independently  of  the  community  with 
whom  he  associates,  and  perhaps  as  little  likely  to 
be  the  fact  when  he  depends  on  popular  favor  for 
his  rank,  were  addressed  to  the  Signor  Grimaldi. 
Most  of  these  good  things  were  returned  in  kind, 
the  Genoese  meeting  the  courtesies  like  a  man 
accustomed  to  be  the  object  of  peculiar  attentions, 
and  possibly  like  one  who  rather  rioted  in  the  im 
punity  from  ceremonies  and  public  observation, 
that  he  now  happened  to  enjoy.  Adelheid,  with  a 
maiden  of  the  house  of  Blonay,  closed  the  little 
train. 

As  all  commendable  diligence  was  used  by  the 
officers  of  the  peace  to  make  way  for  the  bailiff, 
Herr  Hofmeister  and  his  companions  were  soon 
in  their  allotted  stations,  which,  it  is  scarcely  ne 
cessary  to  repeat,  were  the  upper  places  on  the 
estrade.  Peter  had  seated  himself,  after  returning 
numerous  salutations,  for  none  in  a  situation  to 
catch  nis  eye  neglected  so  fair  an  opportunity  to 
show  tneir  intimacy  with  the  bailiff,  when  his  wan 
dering  glance  fell  upon  the  happy  visage  of  Father 
Xavier.  Rising  hastily,  the  bailiff  went  through 
a  multitude  of  the  formal  ceremonies  that  distin- 


THE    HEADSMAN.  235 

guished  the  courtesy  of  the  place  and  period,  such 
as  frequent  wavings  and  liftings  of  the  beaver 
profound  reverences,  smiles  that  seemed  to  flow 
from  the  heart,  and  a  variety  of  other  tokens  of 
extraordinary  love  and  respect.  When  all  were 
ended,  he  resumed  his  place  by  the  side  of  Mel- 
chior  de  Willading,  with  whom  he  commenced  a 
confidential  dialogue. 

"  We  know  not,  noble  Freiherr,"  (he  spoke  in 
the  vernacular  of  their  common  canton,)  "  whether 
we  have  most  reason  to  esteem  or  to  disrelish  these 
Augustines.  While  they  do  so  many  Christian  acts 
to  the  travellers  on  their  mountain  yonder,  they 
are  devils  incarnate  in  the  way  of  upholding  popery 
and  its  abominations  among  the  people.  Look  you, 
the  commonalty — God  bless  them  as  they  deserve ! 
— have  no  great  skill  at  doctrinal  discussions,  and 
are  much  disposed  to  be  led  away  by  appearances. 
Numberless  are  the  miserable  dolts  who  fancy  the 
godliness  which  is  content  to  pass  its  time  on  the 
top  of  a  frozen  hill,  doing  good,  feeding  the  hun 
gry,  dressing  the  wounds  of  the  fallen,  and — but 
thou  knowest  the  manner  in  which  these  sayings 
run — the  ignorant,  as  I  was  about  to  add,  are  but 
too  ready  to  believe  that  the  religion  which  leads 
men  to  do  this,  must  have  some  savor  of  Heaven 
in  it,  after  all  I" 

"  Are  they  so  very  wrong,  friend  Peter,  that  we 
were  wise  to  disturb  the  monks  in  the  enjoyment 
of  a  favor  that  is  so  fairly  earned  ?" 

The  bailiff  looked  askance  at  his  brother  burgher, 
for  such  was  the  humble  appellation  that  aristocracy 
assumed  in  Berne,  appearing  desirous  to  probe  the 
depth  of  the  other's  political  morals  before  he  spoke 
more  freely. 

"  Though  of  a  house  so  honored  and  trusted,  1 
believe  thou  art  not  much  accustomed  of  late  to 
mingle  with  the  council  ?"  he  evasively  observed. 


236  THE    HEADSMAN. 

"  Since  the  heavy  losses  in  my  family,  of  which 
thou  may'st  have  heard,  the  care  of  this  sole  sur 
viving  child  has  been  my  principal  solace  and  oc 
cupation.  I  know  not  whether  the  frequent  and 
near  sight  of  death  among  those  so  tenderly  loved 
may  have  softened  my  heart  towards  the  Augus- 
tines,  but  to  me  theirs  seems  a  self-denying  and  a 
right  worthy  life." 

"  'Tis  doubtless  as  you  say,  noble  Melchior,  and 
we  shall  do  well  to  let  our  love  for  the  holy  canons 
be  seen.  Ho !  Mr.  Officer — do  us  the  favor  to 
request  the  reverend  monk  of  St.  Bernard  to  draw 
nearer,  that  the  people  may  learn  the  esteem  in 
which  their  patient  charities  and  never-wearying 
benevolence  are  held  by  the  lookers-on.  As  you 
will  have  occasion  to  pass  a  night  beneath  the  con 
vent's  roof,  Herr  von  Willading,  in  your  journey 
to  Italy,  a  little  honor  shown  to  the  honest  and 
pains-taking  clavier  will  not  be  lost  on  the  bro 
therhood,  if  these  churchmen  have  even  a  decent 
respect  for  the  usages  of  their  fellow-creatures." 

Father  Xavier  took  the  proffered  place,  which 
was  nearer  to  the  person  of  the  bailiff  than  the 
one  he  had  just  quitted,  and  insomuch  the  more 
honorable,  with  the  usual  thanks,  but  with  a  sim 
plicity  which  proved  that  he  understood  the  com 
pliment  to  be  due  to  the  fraternity  of  which  he 
was  a  member,  and  not  to  himself.  This  little  dis 
position  made,  as  well  as  all  other  preliminary 
matters  properly  observed,  the  bailiff  seemed  sat 
isfied  with  himself  and  his  arrangements,  for  the 
moment. 

The  reader  must  imagine  the  stir  in  the  throng 
the  importance  of  the  minor  agents  appointed  to 
marshal  the  procession,  and  the  mixture  of  weari 
ness  and  curiosity  that  possessed  the  spectators, 
while  the  several  parts  of  so  complicated  and  nu 
merous  a  train  were  getting  arranged,  each  in  its 


THE    HEADSMAN.  237 

prescribed  order  and  station.  But,  as  the  ceremo 
nies  which  followed  were  of  a  peculiar  character, 
and  have  an  intimate  connexion  with  the  events  of 
the  tale,  we  shall  describe  them  with  a  little  detail, 
although  the  task  we  have  allotted  to  ourselves  is 
less  that  of  sketching  pictures  of  local  usages,  and 
of  setting  before  the  reader's  imagination  scenes 
of  real  or  fancied  antiquarian  accuracy,  than  the 
exposition  of  a  principle,  and  the  wholesome  moral 
which  we  have  always  flattered  ourselves  might, 
in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  follow  from  our  labors. 

A  short  time  previously  to  the  commencement 
of  the  ceremonies,  a  guard  of  honor,  composed  of 
shepherds,  gardeners,  mowers,  reapers,  vine-dres 
sers,  escorted  by  halberdiers  and  headed  by  music, 
had  left  the  square  in  quest  of  the  abbe,  as  the 
regular  and  permanent  presiding  officer  of  the  ab- 
baye,  or  company,  is  termed.  This  escort,  all  the 
individuals  of  which  were  dressed  in  character, 
was  not  long  in  making  its  appearance  with  the 
officer  in  question,  a  warm,  substantial  citizen  and 
proprietor  of  the  place,  who,  otherwise  attired  in 
the  ordinary  costume  of  his  class  in  that  age,  had 
decorated  his  beaver  with  a  waving  plume,  and, 
in  addition  to  a  staff  or  baton,  wore  a  flowing 
scarf  pendent  from  his  shoulder.  This  personage, 
on  whom  certain  judicial  functions  had  devolved, 
took  a  convenient  position  in  the  front  of  the  stage, 
and  soon  made  a  sign  for  the  officials  to  proceed 
with  their  duties. 

Twelve  vine-dressers  led  by  a  chief,  each  having 
his  person  more  or  less  ornamented  with  garlands 
of  vine-leaves,  and  bearing  other  emblems  of  his 
calling,  marched  in  a  body,  chanting  a  song  of  the 
fields.  They  escorted  two  of  their  number  who 
had  been  pronounced  the  most  skilful  and  success 
ful  in  cultivating  the  vineyards  of  the  adjacent 
c6tes.  When  they  reached  the  front  of  the  estrade, 


238  THE    HEADSMAN. 

the  abbe  pronounced  a  short  discourse  in  honor  of 
the  cultivators  of  the  earth  in  general,  after  which 
he  digressed  into  especial  eulogiums  on  the  suc 
cessful  candidates,  two  pleased,  abashed,  and  un 
practised  peasants,  who  received  the  simple  prizes 
with  throbbing  hearts.  This  little  ceremony  ob 
served,  amid  the  eager  and  delightful  gaze  of 
friends,  and  the  oblique  and  discontented  regards 
of  the  few  whose  feelings  were  too  contracted  to 
open  to  the  joys  of  others,  even  on  this  simple  and 
grateful  festival,  the  trumpets  sounded  again,  and 
the  cry  was  raised  to  make  room. 

A  large  group  advanced  from  among  the  body 
of  the  actors  to  an  open  space,  of  sufficient  size 
and  elevation,  immediately  in  front  of  the  stage. 
When  in  full  view  of  the  multitude,  those  who  com 
posed  it  arranged  themselves  in  a  prescribed  and 
seemly  order.  They  were  the  officials  of  Bacchus. 
The  high-priest,  robed  in  a  sacrificial  dress,  with 
flowing  beard,  and  head  crowned  with  the  vine, 
stood  foremost,  chanting  in  honor  of  the  craft  of 
the  vine-dresser.  His  song  also  contained  a  few 
apposite  allusions  to  the  smiling  blushing  candidates. 
The  whole  joined  in  the  chorus,  though  the  leader 
of  the  band  scarce  needed  the  support  of  any  other 
kings  than  those  with  which  he  had  been  very 
amply  furnished  by  nature. 

The  hymn  ended,  a  general  burst  of  instrument 
al  music  succeeded ;  and,  the  followers  of  Bacchus 
regaining  their  allotted  station,  the  general  proces 
sion  began  to  move,  sweeping  around  the  whole 
area  of  the  square  in  a  manner  to  pass  in  orde 
before  the  bailiff. 

The  first  body  in  the  march  was  composed  of 
the  council  of  the  abbaye,  attended  by  the  shep 
herds  and  gardeners.  One  in  an  antique  costume, 
and  bearing  a  halberd,  acted  as  marshal.  He  was 
succeeded  bv  the  two  crowned  vine-dressers,  aftci 


THE   HEADSMAN 


239 


.  whom  came  the  abbe  with  his  counsellors,  and 
large  groups  of  shepherds  and  shepherdesses,  as 
well  as  a  number  of  both  sexes  who  toiled  in 
gardens,  all  attired  in  costumes  suited  to  the  tra 
ditions  of  their  respective  pursuits.  The  marshal 
and  the  officers  of  the  abbaye  moved  slowly  past, 
with  the  gravity  and  decorum  that  became  their 
stations,  occasionally  halting  to  give  time  for  the 
evolutions  of  those  who  followed ;  but  the  other 
actors  now  began  in  earnest  to  play  their  several 
parts.  A  group  of  young  shepherdesses,  clad  in 
closely  fitting  vests  of  sky-blue  with  skirts  of  white, 
each  holding  her  crook,  came  forward  dancing, 
and  singing  songs  that  imitated  the  bleatings  of 
their  flocks  and  all  the  other  sounds  familiar  to 
the  elevated  pasturages  of  that  region.  These  were 
soon  joined  by  an  equal  number  of  young  shepherds 
also  singing  their  pastorals,  the  whole  exhibiting 
an  active  and  merry  group  of  dancers,  accustomed 
to  exercise  their  art  on  the  sward  of  the  Alps ; 
for,  in  this  festival,  although  we  have  spoken  of 
the  performers  as  actors,  it  is  not  in  the  literal 
meaning  of  the  term,  since,  with  few  exceptions 
none  appeared  to  represent  any  other  calling  than 
that  which,  in  truth,  formed  his  or  her  daily  oc 
cupation.  We  shall  not  detain  the  narrative  to 
say  more  of  this  party,  than  that  they  formed  a 
less  striking  exception  to  the  conventional  picture 
of  the  appearance  of  those  engaged  in  tending 
flocks,  than  the  truth  ordinarily  betrays ;  and  that 
their  buoyant  gaiety,  blooming  faces,  and  unwea- 
lied  action,  formed  a  good  introductory  prepara 
tion  for  the  saltation  that  was  to  follow. 

The  male  gardeners  appeared  in  their  aprons, 
carrying  spades,  rakes,  and  the  other  implements 
of  their  trade ;  the  female  supporting  baskets  on 
their  heads  filled  with  rich  flowers,  vegetables,  and 
fruits.  When  in  front  of  the  bailiff*,  the  young 


240  THE    HEADSMAN. 

men  formed  a  sort  of  fasces  of  their  several  in> 
plements,  with  a  readiness  that  denoted  much  study 
while  the  girls  arranged  their  baskets  in  a  circle 
at  its  foot.  Then,  joining  hands,  the  whole  whirled 
around,  filling  the  air  with  a  song  peculiar  to  their 
pursuits. 

During  the  whole  of  the  preparations  of  the 
morning,  Adelheid  had  looked  on  with  a  vacant 
eye,  as  if  her  feelings  had  little  connexion  with  that 
which  was  passing  before  her  face.  It  is  scarcely 
necessary  to  say,  that  her  mind,  in  spite  of  herself, 
wandered  to  other  scenes,  and  that  her  truant 
thoughts  were  busy  with  interests  very  different 
from  those  which  were  here  presented  to  the  senses. 
But,  by  the  time  the  group  of  gardeners  had  passed 
dancing  away,  her  feelings  began  to  enlist  with 
those  who  were  so  evidently  pleased  with  them 
selves  and  all  around  them,  and  her  father,  for  the 
first  time  that  morning,  was  rewarded  for  the  deep 
attention  with  which  he  watched  the  play  of  her 
features,  by  an  affectionate  and  natural  smile. 

"This  goes  off  right  merrily,  Herr  Bailiff;"  ex 
claimed  the  baron,  animated  by  that  encouraging 
smile,  as  the  blood  is  quickened  by  a  genial  ray  of 
the  sun's  heat  when  it  has  been  long  chilled  and 
deadened  by  cold. — "  This  goes  off  with  a  joyful 
will,  and  is  likely  to  end  with  credit  to  thy  town  ! 
I  only  wonder  that  you  have  not  more  of  this,  and 
monthly.  When  joy  can  be  had  so  cheap,  it  is 
churlish  to  deny  it  to  a  people." 

"  We  complain  not  of  the  levities,  noble  Frei- 
herr,  for  your  light  thinker  makes  a  sober  and 
dutiful  subject;  but  we  shall  have  more  of  this, 
and  of  a  far  better  quality,  or  our  time  is  wasted. 
— What  is  thought  at  Berne,  noble  Melchior,  of 
the  prospects  of  the  Emperor's  obtaining  a  new 
concession  for  the  levy  of  troops  in  our  cantons  ?" 

"  I  cry  thy  mercy,  good  Peterchen,  but  by  thy 


THE    HEADSMAN.  241 

leave,  we  will  touch  on  these  matters  more  at  our 
leisure.  Boyish  though  it  seem  to  thy  eyes,  so  long 
accustomed  to  look  at  matters  of  state,  I  do  confess 
that  these  follies  begin  to  have  their  entertainment, 
and  may  well  claim  an  hour  of  idleness  from  him 
that  has  nothing  better  in  hand." 

Peter  Hofmeister  ejaculated  a  little  expressively. 
He  then  examined  the  countenance  of  the  Signor 
Grimaldi,  who  had  given  himself  to  the  merriment  \. 
with  the  perfect  good-will  and  self-abandonment 
of  a  man  of  strong  intellect,  and  who  felt  his 
powers  too  sensibly  to  be  jealous  of  appearances. 
Shrugging  his  shoulders,  like  one  that  was  disap 
pointed,  the  pragmatical  bailiff  turned  his  look 
towards  the  revellers,  in  order  to  detect,  if  possible, 
some  breach  of  the  usages  of  the  country,  that 
might  require  official  reproof;  for  Peter  was  of 
that  class  of  governors  who  have  an  itching  to  see 
their  fingers  stirring  even  the  air  that  is  breatned 
by  the  people,  lest  they  should  get  it  of  a  quality 
or  in  a  quantity  that  might  prove  dangerous  to  a 
monopoly  which  it  is  now  the  fashion  to  call  the 
conservative  principle.  In  the  mean  time  the  revels 
proceeded. 

No  sooner  had  the  gardeners  quitted  the  arena, 
than  a  solemn  and  imposing  train  appeared  to  oc 
cupy  the  sward.  Four  females  marched  to  the 
front,  bearing  an  antique  altar  that  was  decorated 
with  suitable  devices.  They  were  clad  in  em 
blematical  dresses,  and  wore  garlands  of  flowers 
on  their  heads.  Boys  carrying  censers  preceded 
an  altar  that  was  dedicated  to  Flora,  and  her 
ministering  official  came  after  it,  mitred  and  car 
rying  flowers.  Like  all  the  priestesses  that  fol 
lowed,  she  was  laboriously  attired  in  the  robes 
that  denoted  her  sacred  duty.  The  goddess  her 
self  was  borne  by  four  females  on  a  throne  cano 
pied  by  flowers,  and  from  whose  several  parts 
V 


THE    HEADSMAN 

sweeping  festoons  of  every  hue  and  die  descended 
to  the  earth.  Haymakers  of  both  sexes,  gay  and 
pastoral  in  their  air  and  attire,  succeeded,  and  a 
car  groaning  with  the  sweet-scented  grass  of  the 
Alps,  accompanied  by  females  bearing  rakes, 
brought  up  the  rear. 

The  altar  and  the  throne  being  deposited  on  the 
sward,  the  priestess  offered  sacrifice,  hymning  the 
praise  of  the  goddess  with  mountain  lungs.  Then 
followed  the  dance  of  the  haymakers,  as  in  the 
preceding  exhibition,  and  the  train  went  off  as 
before. 

"  Excellent  well,  and  truer  than  it  could  be  done 
by  your  real  pagan !"  cried  the  bailiff,  who,  in  spite 
of  his  official  longings,  began  to  watch  the  mum 
mery  with  a  pleased  eye.  "  This  beateth  greatly 
our  youthful  follies  in  the  Genoese  and  Lombard 
carnivals,  in  which,  to  say  truth,  there  are  some 
times  seen  rare  niceties  in  the  way  of  representing 
the  old  deities." 

"  Is  it  the  usage,  friend  Hofmeister,"  demanded 
the  baron,  "  to  enjoy  these  admirable  pleasantries 
often  here  in  Vaud?" 

"  We  partake  of  them,  from  time  to  time,  as 
the  abbaye  desires,  and  much  as  thou  seest.  The 
honorable  Signor  Grimaldi — who  will  pardon  me 
that  he  gets  no  better  treatment  than  he  receives, 
and  who  will  not  fail  to  ascribe  what,  to  all  who 
know  him,  might  otherwise  pass  for  inexcusable 
neglect,  to  his  own  desire  for  privacy — he  will  tell 
us,  should  he  be  pleased  to  honor  us  with  his  real 
opinion,  that  the  subject  is  none  the  worse  for  oc 
casions  to  laugh  and  be  gay.  Now,  there  is  Ge 
neva,  a  town  given  to  subtleties  as  ingenious  and 
complicated  as  the  machinery  of  their  own  watch 
es;  it  can  never  have  a  merrymaking  without  a 
leaven  of  disputation  and  reason,  two  as  damnable 
ingredients  in  the  public  humor  as  schism  in  reli- 


THE    HEADSMAN.  243 

gion,  or  two  minds  in  a  menage.  There  is  not  a 
knave  in  the  city  who  does  not  fancy  himself  a 
better  man  than  Calvin,  and  some  there  are  who 
believe  if  they  are  not  cardinals,  it  is  merely  be 
cause  the  reformed  church  does  not  relish  legs 
cased  in  red  stockings.  By  the  word  of  a  bailiff! 
I  would  not  be  the  ruler,  look  ye,  of  such  a  com 
munity,  for  the  hope  of  becoming  Avoyer  of  Berne 
itself.  Here  it  is  different.  We  play  our  antics 
in  the  shape  of  gods  and  goddesses  like  sober  peo 
ple,  and,  when  all  is  over,  we  go  train  our  vines, 
or  count  our  herds,  like  faithful  subjects  of  the  great 
canton.  Do  I  state  the  matter  fairly  to  our  friends, 
Baron  de  Blonay  ?" 

Roger  de  Blonay  bit  his  lip,  for  he  and  his  had 
been  of  Vaud  a  thousand  years,  and  he  little  rel 
ished  the  allusion  to  the  quiet  manner  in  which  his 
countrymen  submitted  to  a  compelled  and  foreign 
dictation.  He  bowed  a  cold  acquiescence  to  the 
bailiff's  statement,  however,  as  if  no  farther  answer 
were  needed. 

"  We  have  other  ceremonies  that  invite  our  at 
tention,"  said  Melchior  de  Willading,  who  had  suf 
ficient  acquaintance  with  his  friend's  opinions  to 
understand  his  silence. 

The  next  group  that  approached  was  composed 
of  those  who  lived  by  the  products  of  the  dairy. 
Two  cowherds  led  their  beasts,  the  monotonous 
tones  of  whose  heavy  bells  formed  a  deep  and 
rural  accompaniment  to  the  music  that  regularly 
preceded  each  party,  while  a  train  of  dairy-girls, 
and  of  young  mountaineers  of  the  class  that  tend 
ihe  herds  in  the  summer  pasturages,  succeeded,  a 
car  loaded  with  the  implements  of  their  calling 
bringing  up  the  rear.  In  this  little  procession,  no 
detail  of  equipment  was  wanting.  The  milking- 
stool  was  strapped  to  the  body  of  the  dairyman ; 
one  had  the  peculiarly  constructed  pail  in  his  hand, 


244  THE    HEADSMAN. 

while  another  bore  at  his  back  the  deep  wooden 
vessel  in  which  milk  is  carried  up  and  down  the 
precipices  to  the  chalet.  When  they  reached  the 
sodded  arena,  the  men  commenced  milking  the 
cows,  the  girls  set  in  motion  the  different  processes 
of  the  dairy,  and  the  whole  united  in  singing  the 
Ranz  des  Vaches  of  the  district.  It  is  generally 
and  erroneously  believed  that  there  is  a  particular 
air  which  is  known  throughout  Switzerland  by 
this  name,  whereas  in  truth  nearly  every  canton 
has  its  own  song  of  the  mountains,  each  varying 
from  the  others^  in  the  notes,  as  well  as  in  the 
words,  and  we  might  almost  add  in  the  language. 
The  Ranz  des  Vaches  of  Vaud  is  in  the  patois  of 
the  country,  a  dialect  that  is  composed  of  words 
of  Greek  and  Latin  origin,  mingled  on  a  founda 
tion  of  Celtic.  Like  our  own  familiar  tune,  which 
was  first  bestowed  in  derision,  and  which  a  glorious 
history  has  enabled  us  to  continue  in  pride,  the 
words  are  far  too  numerous  to  be  repeated.  We 
shall,  however,  give  the  reader  a  single  verse  of 
a  song  which  Swiss  feeling  has  rendered  so  cele 
brated,  and  which  is  said  often  to  induce  the 
mountaineer  in  foreign  service  to  desert  the  mer 
cenary  standard  and  the  tame  scenes  of  towns,  to 
return  to  the  magnificent  nature  that  haunts  his 
waking  imagination  and  embellishes  his  dreams. 
It  will  at  once  be  perceived  that  the  power  of 
this  song  is  chiefly  to  be  found  in  the  recollec 
tions  to  which  it  gives  birth,  by  recalling  the 
simple  charms  of  rural  life,  and  by  reviving  the 
indelible  impressions  that  are  made  by  nature 
wherever  she  has  laid  her  hand  on  the  face  of  the 
earth  with  the  same  majesty  as  in  Switzerland. 

Le  zermailli  del  Colombette 
De  bon  matin,  se  san  leha. — 

REFRAIN. 
Ha,  ah !  ha,  ah ! 


THE   HEADSMAN.  245 

Liauba !  Liauba !  por  aria. 
Venide  tote, 
Bllantz'  et  naire, 
Rodz  et  motaile, 
Dzjouvan'  et  etro 
Dezo  ou  tzehano, 
lo  vo  z'  ario 
Dezo  ou  triembllo, 
lo  ie  triudzo, 
Liauba !  Liauba !  por  aris.* 

The  music  of  the  mountains  is  peculiar  and  wild, 
having  most  probably  received  its  inspiration  from 
the  grandeur  of  the  natural  objects.  Most  of  the 
sounds  partake  of  the  character  of  echoes,  being 
high-keyed  but  false  notes;  such  as  the  rocks  send 
back  to  the  valleys,  when  the  voice  is  raised  above 
its  natural  key  in  order  to  reach  the  caverns  and 
savage  recesses  of  inaccessible  precipices.  Strains 
like  these  readily  recall  the  glens  and  the  magnifi 
cence  amid  which  they  were  first  heard,  and  hence, 
by  an  irresistible  impulse,  the  mind  is  led  to  indulge 
in  the  strongest  of  all  its  sympathies,  those  which 
are  mixed  with  the  unalloyed  and  unsophisticated 
delights  of  buoyant  childhood. 

The  herdsmen  and  dairymaids  no  sooner  uttered 
the  first  notes  of  this  magic  song,  than  a  deep  and 
breathing  stillness  pervaded  the  crowd.  As  the 

*   The  cowherds  of  the  Alps 
Arise  at  an  early  hour. 

CHORUS. 
Ha,  ah !  ha,  ah ! 
Liauba !  Liauba !  in  order  to  milk. 

Come  all  of  you, 

Black  and  white, 

Red  and  mottled", 

Young  and  old ; 

Beneath  this  oak 

I  am  about  to  milk  you, 

Beneath  this  poplar, 

I  am  about  to  press, 

Liauba '  Liauba !  in  order  to  milk. 
V2 


246  THE    HEADSMAN. 

peculiar  strains  of  the  chorus  rose  on  the  ear,  mur 
muring  echoes  issued  from  among  the  spectators, 
and  ere  the  wild  intonations  could  be  repeated 
which  accompanied  the  words  "  Liauba !  Liauba  !" 
a  thousand  voices  were  lifted  simultaneously,  as  it 
were,  to  greet  the  surrounding  mountains  with  the 
salutations  of  their  children.  From  that  moment 
the  remainder  of  the  Ranz  des  Vaches  was  a  com 
rnon  burst  of  enthusiasm,  the  offspring  of  that  na 
tional  fervor,  which  forms  so  strong  a  link  in  the 
social  chain,  and  which  is  capable  of  recalling  to 
the  bosom  that,  in  other  respects,  has  been  harden 
ed  by  vice  and  crime,  a  feeling  of  some  of  the 
purest  sentiments  of  our  nature. 

The  last  strain  died  amid  this  general  exhibition 
of  healthful  feeling.  The  cowherds  and  the  dairy- 
girls  collected  their  different  implements,  and  re 
sumed  their  march  to  the  melancholy  music  of  the 
bells,  which  formed  a  deep  contrast  to  the  wild 
notes  that  had  just  filled  the  square. 

To  these  succeeded  the  followers  of  Ceres,  with 
the  altar,  the  priestess,  and  the  enthroned  goddess, 
as  has  been  already  described  in  the  approach  of 
Flora.  Cornucopiae  ornamented  the  chair  of  the 
deity,  and  the  canopy  was  adorned  with  the  gifts 
of  autumn.  The  whole  was  surmounted  by  a  sheaf 
of  wheat.  She  held  the  sickle  as  her  sceptre,  and 
a  tiara  composed  of  the  bearded  grain  covered  her 
brow.  Reapers  followed,  bearing  emblems  of  the 
season  of  abundance,  and  gleaners  closed  the  train. 
There  was  the  halt,  the  chant,  the  chorus,  and  the 
song  in  praise  of  the  beneficent  goddess  of  autumn, 
as  had  been  done  by  the  votaries  of  the  deity  of 
flowers.  A  dance  of  the  reapers  and  gleaners  fol 
lowed,  the  threshers  flourished  their  flails,  and  the 
whole  went  their  way. 

After  these  came  the  grand  standard  of  the  ab- 
baye,  and  the  vine-dressers,  the  real  objects  of  the 


THE    HEADSMAN.  247 

festival,  succeeded.  The  laborers  of  the  spring 
led  the  advance,  the  men  carrying  their  picks  and 
spades,  and  the  women  vessels  to  contain  the  cut 
tings  of  the  vines.  Then  came  a  train  bearing 
baskets  loaded  with  the  fruit,  in  its  different  de 
grees  of  perfection  and  of  every  shade  of  color. 
Youths  holding  staves  topped  with  minature  re 
presentations  of  the  various  utensils  known  in  the 
culture  of  the  grape,  such  as  the  laborer  with  the 
tub  on  his  back,  the  butt,  and  the  vessel  that  first 
receives  the  flowing  juice,  followed.  A  great  num 
ber  of  men,  who  brought  forward  the  forge  that  is 
used  to  prepare  the  tools,  closed  this  part  of  the 
exhibition.  The  song  and  the  dance  again  suc 
ceeded,  when  the  whole  disappeared  at  a  signal 
given  by  the  approaching  music  of  Bacchus.  As 
we  now  touch  upon  the  most  elaborate  part  of  the 
representation,  we  seize  the  interval  that  is  neces 
sary  to  bring  it  forward,  in  order  to  take  breath 
ourselves. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

And  thou,  O  wall,  O  sweet,  O  lovely  wall, 

That  stancPst  between  her  father's  ground  and  mine 

Thou  wall,  O  wall,  O  sweet  and  lovely  wall, 

Show  me  thy  chink,  to  blink  through  with  mine  eyne. 

Midsummer  Night's  Dream. 

"  'ODDS  my  life,  but  this  goes  off  with  a  grace, 
brother  Peter !"  exclaimed  the  Baron  de  Willading, 
as  he  followed  the  vine-dressers  in  their  retreat, 
with  an  amused  eye — "If  we  have  much  more  like 
it,  I  shall  forget  the  dignity  of  the  biirgerschaft, 
and  turn  mummer  with  the  rest,  though  my  good 
name  for  wisdom  were  the  forfeit  of  the  folly." 


248  THE    HEADSMAN. 

"  That  is  better  said  between  ourselves  than  per 
formed  before  the  vulgar  eye,  honorable  Melchior 
It  would  sound  ill,  of  a  truth,  were  these  Vaudois 
to  boast  that  a  noble  of  thy  estimation  in  Berne 
were  thus  to  forget  himself!" 

"  None  of  this  ! — are  we  not  here  to  be  merry 
and  to  laugh,  and  to  be  pleased  with  any  folly  that 
offers  ?  A  truce,  then,  to  thy  official  distrusts  and 
superabundant  dignity,  honest  Peterchen,"  for  such 
was  the  good-natured  name  by  which  the  worthy 
bailiff  wa-s  most  commonly  addressed  by  his  friend  ; 
"  let  the  tongue  freely  answer  to  the  heart,  as  if 
we  were  boys  rioting  together,  as  was  once  the 
case,  long  ere  thou  wert  thought  of  for  this  office, 
or  I  knew  a  sorrowful  hour." 

"  The  Signor  Grimaldl  shall  judge  between  us : 
I  maintain  that  restraint  is  necessary  to  those  in 
high  trusts." 

"  I  will  decide  when  the  actors  have  all  played 
their  parts,"  returned  the  Genoese,  smiling ;  "  at 
present,  here  cometh  one  to  whom  all  old  soldiers 
pay  homage.  We  will  not  fail  of  respect  in  so 
great  a  presence,  on  account  of  a  little  difference 
in  taste." 

Peter  Hofmeister  was  not  a  small  drinker,  and 
as  the  approach  of  the  god  of  the  cup  was  announc 
ed  by  a  flourish  from  some  twenty  instruments 
made  to  speak  on  a  key  suited  to  the  vault  of 
heaven,  he  was  obliged  to  reserve  his  opinions  foi 
another  time.  After  the  passage  of  the  musicians, 
and  a  train  of  the  abbaye's  servants,  for  especial 
honors  were  paid  to  the  ruby  deity,  there  came 
three  officials  of  the  sacrifice,  one  leading  a  goat 
with  gilded  horns,  while  the  two  others  bore  the 
knife  and  the  hatchet.  To  these  succeeded  the 
altar  adorned  with  vines,  the  incense-bearers,  and 
the  high-priest  of  Bacchus,  who  led  the  way  foi 
the  appearance  of  the  youthful  god  himself.  Tho 


THE    HEADSMAN,  24J» 

deity  was  seated  astride  on  a  cask,  his  head  encir 
cled  with  a  garland  of  generous  grapes,  bearing  a 
cup  in  one  hand,  and  a  vine  entwined  and  fruit- 
crowned  sceptre  in  the  other.  Four  Nubians  car 
ried  him  on  their  shoulders,  while  others  shaded 
his  form  with  an  appropriate  canopy ;  fauns  wear 
ing  tiger-skins,  and  playing  their  characteristic 
antics,  danced  in  his  train,  while  twenty  laughing 
and  light-footed  Bacchantes  flourished  their  instru 
ments,  moving  in  measure  in  the  rear. 

A  general  shout  in  the  multitude  preceded  the 
appearance  of  Silenus,  who  was  sustained  in  his 
place  on  an  ass  by  two  blackamoors.  The  half- 
empty  skin  at  his  side,  the  vacant  laugh,  the  foolish 
eye,  the  lolling  tongue,  the  bloated  lip,  and  the 
idiotic  countenance,  gave  reason  to  suspect  that 
there  was  a  better  motive  for  their  support  than 
any  which  belonged  to  the  truth  of  the  represent 
ation.  Two  youths  then  advanced,  bearing  on  a 
pole  a  cluster  of  grapes  that  nearly  descended  to 
the  ground,  and  which  was  intended  to  represent 
the  fruit  brought  from  Canaan  by  the  messengers 
of  Joshua — a  symbol  much  affected  by  the  artists 
and  mummers  of  the  other  hemisphere,  on  occasions 
suited  to  its  display.  A  huge  vehicle,  ycleped  the 
ark  of  Noah,  closed  the  procession.  It  held  a  wine 
press,  having  its  workmen  embowered  among  the 
vines,  and  it  contained  the  family  of  the  second 
father  of  the  human  race.  As  it  rolled  past,  traces 
of  the  rich  liquor  were  left  in  the  tracks  of  its 
wheels. 

Then  carne  the  sacrifice,  the  chant,  and  the 
dance,  as  in  most  of  the  preceding  exhibitions,  each 
of  which,  like  this  of  Bacchus,  had  contained  allu 
sions  to  the  peculiar  habits  and  attributes  of  the 
different  deities.  The  bacchanal  that  closed  the 
scene  was  performed  in  character ;  the  trumpets 


250  THE    HEADSMAN. 

flourished,  and  the  procession  departed  in  the  ordei 
in  which  it  had  arrived. 

Peter  relented  a  little  from  his  usual  political  re 
serve,  as  he  witnessed  these  games  in  honor  of  a 
deity  to  whom  he  so  habitually  did  practical  homage, 
for  it  was  seldom  that  this  elaborate  functionary, 
who  might  be  termed  quite  a  doctrinaire  in  his 
way,  composed  his  senses  in  sleep,  without  having 
pretty  effectually  steeped  them  in  the  liquor  of  the 
neighboring  hills;  a  habit  that  was  of  far  more 
general  use  among  men  of  his  class  in  that  age 
than  in  this  of  ours,  which  seems  so  eminently  to 
be  the  season  of  sobriety. 

"  This  is  not  amiss,  of  a  verity ;"  observed  the 
contented  bailiff,  as  the  Fauns  and  Bacchantes 
moved  off  the  sward,  capering  and  cutting  their 
classical  antics  with  far  more  agility  and  zeal  than 
grace.  "  This  looks  like  the  inspiration  of  good 
wine,  Signior  Genoese,  and  were  the  truth  known, 
it  would  be  found  that  the  rogue  who  plays  the 
part  of  the  fat  person  on  the  ass — how  dost  call 
the  knave,  noble  Melchior?" 

"  Body  o'  me !  if  I  am  wiser  than  thyself,  worthy 
bailiff;  it  is  clearly  a  rogue  who  can  never  have 
done  his  mummery  so  expertly,  without  some  aid 
from  the  flask." 

"  Twill  be  well  to  know  the  fellow's  character, 
for  there  may  be  the  occasion  to  commend  him  to 
the  gentlemen  of  the  abbaye,  when  all  is  over. 
Your  skilful  ruler  has  two  great  instruments  that 
he  need  use  with  discretion,  Baron  de  Willading, 
and  these  are,  fear  and  flattery ;  and  Berne  hath 
no  servant  more  ready  to  apply  both,  or  either,  as 
there  may  be  necessity,  than  one  of  her  poor 
bailiffs  that  hath  not  received  all  his  dues  from  the 
general  opinion,  if  truth  were  spoken.  But  it  is 
well  to  be  prepared  to  speak  these  good  people  of 
the  abbaye  fairly,  touching  their  exploits.  Harkec 


THE    HEADSMAN.  251 

master  halberdier ;  thou  art  of  Vevey,  I  think,  and 
a  warm  citizen  in  thy  every-day  character,  or  my 
eyes  do  us  both  injustice." 

"  I  am,  as  you  have  said,  Monsieur  le  Bailli,  a 
Vevaisan,  and  one  that  is  well  known  among  our 
artisans." 

"True,  that  was  visible,  spite  of  thy  halberd. 
Thou  art,  no  doubt,  rarely  gifted,  and  taught  to  the 
letter  in  these  games.  Wilt  name  the  character 
Jiat  has  just  ridden  past  on  the  ass — he  that  hath 
so  well  enacted  the  drunkard,  I  mean  ?  His  name 
/iath  gone  out  of  our  minds  for  the  moment,  though 
/iis  acting  never  can,  for  a  better  performance  of 
ane  overcome  by  liquor  is  seldom  seen." 

"Lord  keep  you!  worshipful  bailiff,  that  is 
Antoine  Giraud,  the  fat  butcher  of  La  Tour  de 
Peil,  and  a  better  at  the  cup  there  is  not  in  all  the 
country  of  Vaud !  No  wonder  that  he  hath  done 
ais  part  so  readily ;  for,  while  the  others  have  been 
reading  in  books,  or  drilling  like  so  many  awkward 
recruits  under  the  school-master,  Antoine  hath  had 
little  more  to  perform  than  to  dip  into  the  skin  at 
his  elbow.  When  the  officers  of  the  abbaye  com 
plain,  lest  he  should  disturb  the  ceremonies,  he  bids 
them  not  to  make  fools  of  themselves,  for  every 
swallow  he  gives  is  just  so  much  done  in  honor  of 
the  representation ;  and  he  swears,  by  the  creed  of 
Calvin !  that  there  shall  be  more  truth  in  his  acting 
than  in  that  of  any  other  of  the  whole  party." 

"  'Odds  my  life !  the  fellow  hath  humor  as  well 
as  good  acting  in  him — this  Antoine  Giraud !  Will 
you  look  into  the  written  order  they  have  given 
as,  fair  Adelheid,  that  we  may  make  sure  this  arti 
san-halberdier  hath  not  deceived  us  ?  We  in 
authority  must  not  trust  a  Vevaisan  too  lightly." 

"  It  will  be  vain,  I  fear,  Herr  Bailiff,  since  tho 
characters,  and  not  the  names  of  the  actors,  appear 
in  the  lists.  The  man  in  question  represents  Sile- 


252  THE    HEADSMAN. 

nus  I  should  think,  judging  from  his  appearance 
and  all  the  other  circumstances." 

"Well,  let  it  be  as  thou  wilt.  Silenus  himself 
could  not  play  his  own  part  better  than  it  hath 
been  done  by  this  Antoine  Giraud.  The  fellow 
would  gain  gold  like  water  at  the  court  of  the 
emperor  as  a  mime,  were  he  only  advised  to  resort 
thither.  I  warrant  you,  now,  he  would  do  Pluto, 
or  Minerva,  or  any  other  god,  just  as  well  as  he 
hath  done  this  rogue  Silenus !" 

The  honest  admiration  of  Peter,  who,  sooth  to 
say,  had  not  much  of  the  learning  of  the  age,  as 
the  phrase  is,  raised  a  smile  on  the  lip  of  the  beau 
teous  daughter  of  the  baron,  and  she  glanced  a 
look  to  catch  the  eye  of  Sigismund,  towards  whom 
all  her  secret  sympathies,  whether  of  sorrow  or  of 
joy,  so  naturally  and  so  strongly  tended.  But  the 
averted  head,  the  fixed  attention,  and  the  nearly 
immovable  and  statue-like  attitude  in  which  he 
stood,  showed  that  a  more  powerful  interest  drew 
his  gaze  to  the  next  group.  Though  ignorant  of  the 
cause  of  his  intense  regard,  Adelheid  instantly 
forgot  the  bailiff,  his  dogmatism,  and  his  want  of 
erudition,  in  the  wish  to  examine  those  who  ap 
proached. 

The  more  classical  portion  of  the  ceremonies 
was  now  duly  observed.  The  council  of  the 
abbaye  intended  to  close  with  an  exhibition  that 
was  more  intelligible  to  the  mass  of  the  spectators 
than  anything  which  had  preceded  it,  since  it  was 
addressed  to  the  sympathies  and  habits  of  every 
people,  and  in  all  conditions  of  society.  This  was 
the  spectacle  that  so  engrossingly  attracted  the 
attention  of  Sigismund.  It  was  termed  the  pro 
cession  of  the  nuptials,  and  it  was  now  slowly 
advancing  to  occupy  the  space  left  vacant  by  th 
retreat  of  Antoine  Giraud  and  his  companions. 

There  came  in  front  the  customary  band,  plav 


THE    HEADSMAN.  253 

ing  a  lively  air  which  use  has  long  appropriated  to 
the  festivities  of  Hymen.  The  lord  of  the  manor, 
or,  as  he  was  termed,  the  baron,  and  his  lady-part 
ner  led  the  train,  both  apparelled  in  the  rich  and 
quaint  attire  of  the  period.  Six  ancient  couples, 
the  representatives  of  happy  married  lives,  follow 
ed  by  a  long  succession  of  offspring  of  every  age, 
including  equally  the  infant  at  the  breast  and  the 
husband  and  wife  in  the  flower  of  their  days,  walk 
ed  next  to  the  noble  pair.  Then  appeared  the  sec 
tion  of  a  dwelling,  which  was  made  to  portray  the 
interior  of  domestic  economy,  having  its  kitchen, 
its  utensils,  and  most  of  the  useful  and  necessary 
objects  that  may  be  said  to  compose  the  material 
elements  of  an  humble  menage.  Within  this  moiety 
of  a  house,  one  female  plied  the  wheel,  and  an 
other  was  occupied  in  baking.  The  notary,  bear 
ing  the  register  beneath  an  arm,  with  hat  in  hand, 
and  dressed  in  an  exaggerated  costume  of  his  pro 
fession,  strutted  in  the  rear  of  the  two  industrious 
housemaids.  His  appearance  was  greeted  with  a 
general  laugh,  for  the  spectators  relished  the  humor 
of  the  caricature  with  infinite  gout.  But  this  sud 
den  and  general  burst  of  merriment  was  as  quick 
ly  forgotten  in  the  desire  to  behold  the  bride  and 
bridegroom,  whose  station  was  next  to  that  of  the 
officer  of  the  law.  It  was  understood  that  these 
parties  were  not  actors,  but  that  the  abbaye  had 
sought  out  a  couple,  of  corresponding  rank  and 
means,  who  had  consented  to  join  their  fortunes  in 
reality  on  the  occasion  of  this  great  jubilee,  there 
by  lending  to  it  a  greater  appearance  of  that 
genuine  joy  and  festivity  which  it  was  the  desire 
of  the  heads  of  the  association  to  represent.  Such 
a  search  had  not  been  made  without  exciting  deep 
interest  in  the  simple  communities  which  surround 
ed  Vevey.  Many  requisites  had  been  proclaimed 
to  be  necessary  in  the  candidates — such  as  beauty 
W 


254  THE    HEADSMAN. 

modesty,  merit,  and  the  submission  of  her  sex,  in 
the  bride;  and  in  her  partner  those  qualities  which 
might  fairly  entitle  him  to  be  the  repository  of  tho 
happiness  of  a  maiden  so  endowed. 

Many  had  been  the  speculations  of  the  VeVaisans 
touching  the  individuals  who  had  been  selected  to 
perform  these  grave  and  important  characters, 
which,  for  fidelity  of  representation,  were  to  outdo 
that  of  Silenus  himself;  but  so  much  care  had  been 
taken  by  the  agents  of  the  abbaye  to  conceal  the 
names  of  those  they  had  selected,  that,  until  this 
moment,  when  disguise  was  no  longer  possible,  the 
public  was  completely  in  the  dark  on  the  interesting 
point.  It  was  so  usual  to  make  matches  of  this 
kind  on  occasions  of  public  rejoicing,  and  mar 
riages  of  convenience,  as  they  are  not  unaptly 
termed,  enter  so  completely  into  the  habits  of  all 
European  communities — perhaps  we  might  say  of 
all  old  communities — that  common  opinion  would 
not  have  been  violently  outraged  had  it  been  known 
that  the  chosen  pair  saw  each  other  for  the  second 
or  third  time  in  the  procession,  and  that  they  had 
now  presented  themselves  to  take  the  nuptial  vow, 
as  it  were,  at  the  sound  of  the  trumpet  or  the  beat 
of  drum.  Still,  it  was  more  usual  to  consult  the 
inclinations  of  the  parties,  since  it  gave  greater 
zest  to  the  ceremony,  and  these  selections  of  couples 
on  public  occasions  were  generally  supposed  to 
have  more  than  the  common  interest  of  marriages, 
since  they  were  believed  to  be  the  means  of  uni 
ting,  through  the  agency  of  the  rich  and  powerful, 
those  whom  poverty  or  other  adverse  circum 
stances  had  hitherto  kept  asunder.  Rumor  spoke 
of  many  an  inexorable  father  who  had  listened  to 
reason  from  the  mouths  of  the  great,  rather  than 
balk  the  public  humor;  and  thousands  of  pining 
hearts,  among  the  obscure  and  simple,  are  even 
now  gladdened  at  the  approach  cf  some  joyous 


THE    HEADSMAN.  255 

ceremony,  which  is  expected  to  throw  open  the 
gates  of  the  prison  to  the  debtor  and  the  criminal, 
or  that  of  Hymen  to  those  who  are  richer  in  con 
stancy  and  affection  than  in  any  other  stores. 

A  general  murmur  and  a  common  movement 
betrayed  the  lively  interest  of  the  spectators,  as 
the  principal  and  real  actors  in  this  portion  of  the 
ceremonies  drew  near.  Adelheid  felt  a  warm  glow 
on  her  cheek,  and  a  gentler  flow  of  kindness  at 
her  heart,  when  her  eye  first  caught  a  view  of  the 
bride  and  bridegroom,  whom  she  was  fain  to  be 
lieve  a  faithful  pair  that  a  cruel  fortune  had  hitherto 
kept  separate,  and  who  were  now  willing  to  brave 
such  strictures  as  all  must  encounter  who  court 
public  attention,  in  order  to  receive  the  reward  of 
their  enduring  love  and  self-denial.  This  sympathy, 
which  was  at  first  rather  of  an  abstract  and  vague 
nature,  finding  its  support  chiefly  in  her  own  pe 
culiar  situation  and  the  qualities  of  her  gentle  na 
ture,  became  intensely  heightened,  however,  when 
she  got  a  better  view  of  the  bride.  The  modest 
mien,  abashed  eye,  and  difficult  breathing  of  the 
girl,  whose  personal  charms  were  of  an  order  much 
superior  to  those  which  usually  distinguish  rustic 
beauty  in  those  countries  in  which  females  are  not 
exempted  from  the  labors  of  the  field,  were  so 
natural  and  winning  as  to  awaken  all  her  interest  ; 
and,  with  instinctive  quickness,  the  lady  of  Wil- 
lading  bent  her  look  on  the  bridegroom,  in  order 
to  see  if  one  whose  appearance  was  so  eloquent 
in  her  favor  was  likely  to  be  happy  in  her  choice. 
In  age,  personal  appearance,  and  apparently  in  con 
dition  of  life,  there  was  no  very  evident  unfitness, 
though  Adelheid  fancied  that  the  mien  of  the  maiden 
announced  a  better  breeding  than  that  of  her  com 
panion — a  difference  which  she  was  willing  to  as 
cribe,  however,  to  a  greater  aptitude  in  her  own 


256  THE    HEADSMAN 

sex  to  receive  the  first  impress  of  the  moral  seal, 
than  that  which  belongs  to  man, 

"  She  is  fair,"  whispered  Adelheid,  slightly  bend 
ing  her  head  towards  Sigismund,  who  stood  at  her 
side,  "  and  must  deserve  her  happiness." 

"  She  is  good,  and  merits  a  better  fate !"  mut 
tered  the  youth,  breathing  so  hard  as  to  render  his 
respiration  audible, 

The  startled  Adelheid  raised  her  eyes,  and  strong 
but  suppressed  agitation  was  quivering  in  every 
lineament  of  her  companion's  countenance.  The 
attention  of  those  near  was  so  closely  drawn  to 
wards  the  procession,  as  to  allow  an  instant  of  un 
observed  communication. 

"  Sigismund,  this  is  thy  sister !" 

"  God  so  cursed  her." 

"  Why  has  an  occasion,  public  as  this,  been 
chosen  to  wed  a  maiden  of  her  modesty  and 
manner?" 

"  Can  the  daughter  of  Balthazar  be  squeamish  1 
Gold,  the  interest  of  the  abbaye,  and  the  foolish 
eclat  of  this  silly  scene,  have  enabled  my  father  to 
dispose  of  his  child  to  yonder  mercenary,  who  has 
bargained  like  a  Jew  in  the  affair,  and  who,  among 
other  conditions,  has  required  that  the  true  name 
of  his  bride  shall  never  be  revealed.  Are  we  not 
honored  by  a  connexion  which  repudiates  us  even 
before  it  is  formed !" 

The  hollow  stifled  laugh  of  the  young  man  thrilled 
on  the  nerves  of  his  listener,  and  she  ceased  the 
stolen  dialogue  to  return  to  the  subject  at  a  more 
favorable  moment.  In  the  mean  time  the  pro 
cession  had  reached  the  station  in  front  of  the  stage, 
where  the  mummers  had  already  commenced  theii 
rites. 

A  dozen  groomsmen  and  as  many  female  attend 
ants  accompanied  the  pair  who  were  about  to  take 
the  nuptial  vow.  Behind  these  came  the  trousseau 


THE    HEADSMAN.  257 

and  the  corbeilk ;  the  first  being  that  portion  of  the 
dowry  of  the  bride  which  applies  to  her  personal 
wants,  and  the  last  is  an  offering  of  the  husband, 
and  is  figuratively  supposed  to  be  a  pledge  of  the 
strength  of  his  passion.  In  the  present  instance 
the  trousseau  was  so  ample,  and  betokened  so  much 
liberality,  as  well  as  means,  on  the  part  of  the  friends 
of  a  maiden  who  would  consent  to  become  a  wife 
in  a  ceremony  so  public,  as  to  create  general  sur 
prise  ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  a  solitary  chain 
of  gold,  of  rustic  fashion,  and  far  more  in  con 
sonance  with  the  occasion,  was  the  sole  tribute  of 
the  swain.  This  difference  between  the  liberality 
of  the  friends  of  the  bride,  and  that  of  the  indivi 
dual,  who,  judging  from  appearances,  had  much 
the  most  reason  to  show  his  satisfaction,  did  not 
fail  to  give  rise  to  many  comments.  They  ended 
as  most  comments  do,  by  deductions  drawn  against 
the  weaker  and  least  defended  of  the  parties.  The 
general  conclusion  was  so  uncharitable  as  to  infer 
that  a  girl  thus  bestowed  must  be  under  peculiar 
disadvantages,  else  would  there  have  oeen  a  greater 
equality  between  the  gifts ;  an  inference  that  was 
sufficiently  true,  though  cruelly  unjust  to  its  modest 
but  unconscious  subject. 

While  speculations  of  this  nature  were  rife 
among  the  spectators,  the  actors  in  the  ceremony 
began  their  dances,  which  were  distinguished  by 
the  quaint  formality  that  belonged  to  the  politeness 
of  the  age  The  songs  that  succeeded  were  in 
honor  of  Hymen  and  his  votaries,  and  a  few  coup- 
.ets  that  extolled  the  virtues  and  beauty  of  the 
bride  were  chanted  in  chorus.  A  sweep  appeared 
at  the  chimney-top,  raising  his  cry,  in  allusion  to 
the  business  of  the  menage,  and  then  all  moved 
away,  as  had  been  done  by  those  who  had  pre 
ceded  them.  A  guard  of  halberdiers  closed  the 
procession. 

W2 


258  THE    HEADSMAN. 

That  part  of  the  mummeries  which  was  to  be 
enacted  in  front  of  the  estrade  was  now  ended  for 
the  moment,  and  the  different  groups  proceeded 
to  various  other  stations  in  the  town,  where  the 
ceremonies  were  to  be  repeated  for  the  benefit  of 
those  who,  by  reason  of  the  throng,  had  not  been 
able  to  get  a  near  view  of  what  had  passed  in  the 
square.  Most  of  the  privileged  profited  by  the 
pause  to  leave  their  seats,  and  to  seek  such  relaxa 
tion  as  the  confinement  rendered  agreeable.  Among 
those  who  entirely  quitted  the  square  were  the 
bailiff  and  his  friends,  who  strolled  towards  the 
promenade  on  the  lake-shore,  holding  discourse, 
in  which  there  was  blended  much  facetious  merri 
ment  concerning  what  they  had  just  seen. 

The  bailiff  soon  drew  his  companions  around 
him,  in  a  deep  discussion  of  the  nature  of  the 
games,  during  which  the  Signor  Grimaldi  betray 
ed  a  malicious  pleasure  in  leading  on  the  dogmatic 
Peter  to  expose  the  confusion  that  existed  in  his 
head  touching  the  characters  of  sacred  and  pro 
fane  history.  Even  Adelheid  was  compelled  to 
laugh  at  the  commencement  of  this  ludicrous  ex 
hibition,  but  her  thoughts  were  not  long  in  recur 
ring  to  a  subject  in  which  she  felt  a  nearer  and  a 
more  tender  interest.  Sigismund  walked  thought 
fully  at  her  side,  and  she  profited  by  the  attention 
of  all  around  them  being  drawn  to  the  laughable 
dialogue  just  mentioned,  to  renew  the  subject  that 
had  been  so  lightly  touched  on  before. 

"  I  hope  thy  fair  and  modest  sister  will  never 
have  reason  to  repent  her  choice,"  she  said,  less 
ening  her  speed,  in  a  manner  to  widen  the  dis 
tance  between  herself  and  those  she  did  not  wish 
to  overhear  the  words,  while  it  brought  her  nearer 
to  Sigismund;  "'tis  a  frightful  violence  to  all 
maiden  feeling  to  be  thus  dragged  before  the  eyes 


THE    HEADSMAN.  259 

of  the  curious  and  vulgar,  in  a  scene  trying  and 
solemn  as  that  in  which  she  plights  her  marriage- 
vows  !" 

"  Poor  Christine !  her  fate  from  infancy  has  been 
pitiable.  A  purer  or  milder  spirit  than  hers,  one 
that  more  sensitively  shrinks  from  rude  collision, 
does  not  exist,  and  yet,  on  whichever  side  she  turns 
her  eyes,  she  meets  with  appalling  prejudices  or 
opinions  to  drive  a  gentle  nature  like  hers  to  mad 
ness.  It  may  be  a  misfortune,  Adelheid,  to  want 
instruction,  and  to  be  fated  to  pass  a  life  in  the 
depths  of  ignorance,  and  in  the  indulgence  of  bru 
tal  passions,  but  it  is  scarcely  a  blessing  to  have 
the  mind  elevated  above  the  tasks  which  a  cruel 
and  selfish  world  so  frequently  imposes." 

"  Thou  wast  speaking  of  thy  mild  and  excellent 
sister?—" 

"Well  hast  thou  described  her!  Christine  is 
mild,  and  more  than  modest — she  is  meek.  But 
what  can  meekness  itself  do  to  palliate  such  a  ca 
lamity  ?  Desirous  of  averting  the  stigma  of  his 
family  from  all  he  could  with  prudence,  my  father 
caused  my  sister,  like  myself,  to  be  early  taken 
from  the  parental  home.  She  was  given  in  charge 
to  strangers,  under  such  circumstances  of  secrecy, 
as  left  her  long,  perhaps  too  long,  in  ignorance  of 
the  stock  from  which  she  sprang.  When  maternal 
pride  led  my  mother  to  seek  her  daughter's  society, 
the  mind  of  Christine  was  in  some  measure  formed, 
and  she  had  to  endure  the  humiliation  of  learning 
that  she  was  one  of  a  family  proscribed.  Her  gentle 
spirit,  however,  soon  became  reconciled  to  the 
truth,  at  least  so  far  as  human  observation  could 
penetrate,  and,  from  the  moment  of  the  first  terri 
ble  agony,  no  one  has  heard  her  murmur  at  the 
stern  decree  of  Providence.  The  resignation  of 
that  mild  girl  has  ever  been  a  reproach  to  my 
own  rebellious  temper,  for,  Adelheid,  I  cannot  con 


260  THE    HEADSMAN. 

ceal  the  truth  from  thee — I  have  cursed  all  that  I 
dared  include  in  my  wicked  imprecations,  in  very 
madness  at  this  blight  on  my  hopes  !  Nay,  I  have 
even  accused  my  father  of  injustice,  that  he  did 
not  train  me  at  the  side  of  the  block,  that  I  might 
take  a  savage  pride  in  that  which  is  now  the  bane 
of  my  existence.  Not  so  with  Christine  ;  she  has 
always  warmly  returned  the  affection  of  our  pa 
rents,  as  a  daughter  should  love  the  authors  of  her 
being,  while  I  fear  I  have  been  repining  when  I 
should  have  loved.  Our  origin  is  a  curse  entailed 
by  the  ruthless  laws  of  the  land,  and  it  is  not  to 
be  attributed  to  any,  at  least  to  none  of  these  later 
days,  as  a  fault ;  and  such  has  ever  been  the  lan 
guage  of  my  poor  sister  when  she  has  seen  a 
merit  in  their  wishes  to  benefit  us  at  the  expense 
of  their  own  natural  affection.  I  would  I  could 
imitate  her  reason  and  resignation !" 

"  The  view  taken  by  thy  sister  is  that  of  a  fe 
male,  Sigismund,  whose  heart  is  stronger  than  her 
pride ;  and,  what  is  more,  it  is  just." 

"I  deny  it  not;  'tis  just.  But  the  ill-judged 
mercy  has  for  ever  disqualified  me  to  sympathize 
as  I  could  wish  with  those  to  whom  I  belong. 
'Tis  an  error  to  draw  these  broad  distinctions  be 
tween  our  habits  and  our  affections.  Creatures 
stern  as  soldiers  cannot  bend  their  fancies  like 
pliant  twigs,  or  with  the  facility  of  female — " 

"  Duty,"  said  Adelheid  gravely,  observing  that 
he  hesitated. 

"  If  thou  wilt,  duty.  The  word  has  great  weight 
with  thy  sex,  and  I  do  not  question  that  it  should 
have  with  mine." 

"  Thou  canst  not  be  wanting  in  affection  for  thy 
father,  Sigismund.  The  manner  in  which  thou 
interposedst  to  save  nis  life,  when  we  were  in  that 
fearful  jeopardy  of  the  tempest,  disproves  thy 
words." 


THE   HEADSMAN.  261 

"  Heaven  forbid  that  I  should  be  wanting  in  nat 
ural  feeling  of  this  sort,  and  yet,  Adelheid,  it  is 
horrible  not  to  be  able  to  respect,  to  love  profound 
ly,  those  to  whom  we  owe  our  existence  !  Chris 
tine  in  this  is  far  happier  than  I,  an  advantage  that 
I  doubt  not  she  owes  to  her  simple  life,  and  to  the 
closer  intimacies  which  unite  females.  I  am  the 
son  of  a  headsman ;  that  bitter  fact  is  never  absent 
from  my  thoughts  when  they  turn  to  home  and 
those  scenes  in  which  I  could  so  gladly  take  plea 
sure.  Balthazar  may  have  meant  a  kindness  when 
he  caused  me  to  be  trained  in  habits  so  different 
from  his  own,  but,  to  complete  the  good  work,  the 
veil  should  never  have  been  removed." 

Adelheid  was  silent.  Though  she  understood 
the  feelings  which  controlled  one  educated  so  very 
differently  from  those  to  whom  he  owed  his  birth, 
her  habits  of  thought  were  opposed  to  the  indul 
gence  of  any  reflections  that  could  unsettle  the 
reverence  of  the  child  for  its  parent. 

"  One  of  a  heart  like  thine,  Sigismund,  cannot 
hate  his  mother!"  she  said,  after  a  pause. 

"  In  this  thou  dost  me  no  more  than  justice;  my 
words  have  ill  represented  my  thoughts,  if  they 
nave  left  such  an  impression.  In  cooler  moments, 
I  have  never  considered  my  birth  as  more  than  a 
misfortune,  and  my  education  I  deem  a  reason  for 
additional  respect  and  gratitude  to  my  parents, 
though  it  may  have  disqualified  me  in'some  mea 
sure  to  enter  deeply  into  their  feelings.  Christine 
herself  is  not  more  true,  nor  of  more  devoted  love, 
than  my  poor  mother.  It  is  necessary,  Adelheid, 
to  see  and  know  that  excellent  woman  in  order  to 
understand  all  the  wrongs  that  the  world  inflicts 
by  its  ruthless  usages." 

"  We  will  now  speak  only  of  thy  sister.  Has 
she  been  here  bestowed  without  regard  to  her  own 
wishes,  Sigismund?" 


202  THE    HEADSMAN. 

"  I  hope  not.  Christine  is  meek,  but,  while  nei 
ther  word  nor  look  betrays  the  weakness,  still  she 
feels  the  load  that  crushes  us  both.  She  has  long 
accustomed  herself  to  look  at  all  her  own  merits 
through  the  medium  of  this  debasement,  and  has 
set  too  low  a  value  on  her  own  excellent  qualities. 
Much,  very  much  depends,  in  this  life,  on  our  own 
habits  of  self-estimation,  Adelheid;  for  he  who  is 
prepared  to  admit  unworthiness — I  speak  not  of 
dement  towards  God  but  towards  men — will  soon 
become  accustomed  to  familiarity  with  a  standard 
below  his  just  pretensions,  and  will  end  perhaps  in 
being  the  thing  he  dreaded.  Such  has  been  the 
consequence  of  Christine's  knowledge  of  her  birth, 
for,  to  her  meek  spirit,  there  is  an  appearance  of 
generosity  in  overlooking  this  grand  defect,  and  it 
has  too  well  prepared  her  mind  to  endow  the  youth 
with  a  hundred  more  of  the  qualities  that  are  ab 
solutely  necessary  to  her  esteem,  but  which  I  fear 
exist  only  in  her  own  warm  fancy." 

"  This  is  touching  on  the  most  difficult  branch 
of  human  knowledge,"  returned  Adelheid,  smiling 
sweetly  on  the  agitated  brother;  "a  just  apprecia 
tion  of  ourselves.  If  there  is  danger  of  setting 
too  low  a  value  on  our  merits,  there  is  also  some 
ianger  of  setting  too  high;  though  I  perfectly 
comprehend  the  difference  you  would  make  be 
tween  vulgar  vanity,  and  that  self-respect  which 
is  certainly  in  some  degree  necessary  to  success. 
But  one,  like  her  thou  hast  described,  would  scarce 
yield  her  affections  without  good  reason  to  think 
them  well  bestowed." 

"  Adelheid,  thou,  who  hast  never  felt  the  world's 
contempt,  cannot  understand  how  winning  respect 
and  esteem  can  be  made  to  those  who  pine  beneath 
its  weight !  My  sister  hath  so  long  accustomed 
herself  to  think  meanly  of  her  hopes,  that  the  ap 
pearance  of  liberality  and  justice  in  this  youth 


THE    HEADSMAN.  263 

would  have  been  sufficient  of  itself  to  soften  her 
feelings  in  his  favor.  I  cannot  say  I  think — for 
Christine  will  soon  be  his  wife — but  I  will  say,  I 
fear  that  the  simple  fact  of  his  choosing  one  that 
the  world  persecutes  has  given  him  a  value  in  her 
eyes  he  might  not  otherwise  have  possessed." 

"  Thou  dost  not  appear  to  approve  of  thy  sis 
ter's  choice  ?" 

"  I  know  the  details  of  the  disgusting  bargain 
better  than  poor  Christine,"  answered  the  young 
man,  speaking  between  his  teeth,  like  one  who  re 
pressed  bitter  emotion.  "  I  was  privy  to  the  greedy 
exactions  on  the  one  side,  and  to  the  humiliating 
concessions  on  the  other.  Even  money  could  not 
buy  this  boon  for  Balthazar's  child,  without  a  con 
dition  that  the  ineffaceable  stigma  of  her  birth 
should  be  for  ever  concealed." 

Adelheid  saw,  by  the  cold  perspiration  that  stood 
on  the  brow  of  Sigismund,  how  intensely  he  suf 
fered,  and  she  sought  an  immediate  occasion  to 
lead  his  thoughts  to  a  less  disturbing  subject. 
With  the  readiness  of  her  sex,  and  with  the  sensi 
tiveness  and  delicacy  of  a  woman  that  sincerely 
loved,  she  found  means  to  effect  the  charitable  pur 
pose,  without  again  alarming  his  pride.  She  suc 
ceeded  so  far  in  calming  his  feelings,  that,  when 
they  rejoined  their  companions,  the  manner  of  the 
young  man  had  entirely  regained  the  quiet  and 
proud  composure  in  which  he  appeared  to  take 
refuge  against  the  consciousness  of  the  blot  that 
darkened  his  hopes,  frequently  rendering  life  itself 
a  burthen  nearly  too  heavy  to  be  borne. 


264  THE   HEADSMAN. 


CHAPTER  XYI. 

Come  apace,  good  Audrey ,  I  will  fetch 

Up  your  goats,  Audrey :  and  how,  Audrey  ?  am 
I  the  man  yet!    Doth  my  simple  features  content 
You. 

As  You  Like  It. 

WHILE  the  mummeries  related  were  exhibiting 
n  the  great  square,  Maso,  Pippo,  Conrad,  and  the 
others  concerned  in  the  little  disturbance  connect 
ed  with  the  affair  of  the  dog,  were  eating  their  dis 
content  within  the  walls  of  the  guard-house.  Ve*- 
vey  has  several  squares,  and  the  various  ceremo 
nies  of  the  gods  and  demigods  were  now  to  be  re 
peated  in  the  smaller  areas.  On  one  of  the  latter 
stands  the  town-house  and  prison.  The  offenders 
in  question  had  been  summarily  transferred  to  the 
gaol,  in  obedience  to  the  command  of  the  officer 
charged  with  preserving  the  peace.  By  an  act  of 
grace,  however,  that  properly  belonged  to  the  day, 
as  well  as  to  the  character  of  the  offence,  the  pris 
oners  were  permitted  to  occupy  a  part  of  the  edi 
fice  that  commanded  a  view  of  the  square,  and 
consequently  were  not  precluded  from  all  partici 
pation  in  the  joyousness  of  the  festivities.  This 
indulgence  had  been  accorded  on  the  condition 
that  the  parties  should  cease  their  wrangling,  and 
otherwise  conduct  themselves  in  a  way  not  to 
bring  scandal  on  the  exhibition  in  which  the  pride 
of  every  Vevaisan  was  so  deeply  enlisted.  All 
the  captives,  the  innocent  as  well  as  the  guilty,  glad- 


THE    HEADSMAN.  265 

Iy  subscribed  to  the  terms ;  for  they  found  them 
selves  in  a  temporary  duresse  which  did  not  admit 
of  any  fair  argument  of  the  merits  of  the  case, 
and  there  is  no  leveller  so  effectual  as  a  common 
misfortune. 

The  anger  of  Maso,  though  sudden  and  violent, 
the  effect  of  a  hot  temperament,  had  quickly  sub 
sided  in  a  calm  which  more  probably  belonged  to 
his  education  and  opinions,  in  all  of  which  he  was 
much  superior  to  his  profligate  antagonist.  Con 
tempt,  therefore,  soon  took  the  place  of  resentment ; 
and  though  too  much  accustomed  to  rude  contact 
with  men  of  the  pilgrim's  class  to  be  ashamed  of 
what  had  occurred,  the  mariner  strove  to  forget 
the  occurrence.  It  was  one  of  those  moral  dis 
turbances  to  which  he  was  scarcely  less  used  than 
he  was  accustomed  to  encounter  physical  contests 
of  the  elements  like  that  in  which  he  had  lately 
rendered  so  essential  service  on  the  Leman. 

"  Give  me  thy  hand,  Conrad ;"  he  said,  with  the 
frank  forgiveness  which  is  apt  to  distinguish  the 
reconciliation  of  men  who  pass  their  lives  amid 
the  violent,  but  sometimes  ennobling,  scenes  of  ad 
venture  and  lawlessness.  "  Thou  hast  thy  humors 
and  habits,  and  I  have  mine.  If  thou  findest  this 
traffic  in  penances  and  prayers  to  thy  fancy,  fol 
low  the  trade,  of  Heaven's  sake,  and  leave  me  and 
my  dog  to  live  by  other  means !" 

"  Thou  ought'st  to  have  bethought  thee  how 
much  reason  we  pilgrims  have  to  prize  the  mastiffs 
of  the  mountain,"  answered  Conrad,  "  and  how 
likely  it  was  to  stir  my  blood  to  see  another  cur 
devouring  that  which  was  intended  for  old  Uberto. 
Thou  hast  never  toiled  up  the  sides  of  St.  Bernard, 
friend  Maso,  loaded  with  the  sins  of  a  whole 
parish,  to  say  nothing  of  thine  own,  and  therefore 
canst  not  know  the  value  of  these  brutes,  who  so 
X 


266  THE   HEADSMAN, 

often  stand  between  us  pilgrims  and  a  grave  of 
snow." 

II  Maledetto  smiled  grimly,  and  muttered  a  sen 
tence  between  his  teeth ;  for,  in  perfect  consonance 
with  the  frank  lawlessness  of  his  own  life,  there 
was  a  reckless  honesty  in  his  nature,  which  caused 
him  to  despise  hypocrisy  as  unworthy  of  the  bold 
attributes  of  manhood. 

"  Have  it  as  thou  wilt,  pious  Conrad,"  he  said 
sneeringly,  "  so  there  be  peace  between  us.  I  am, 
as  thou  knowest,  an  Italian,  and  though  we  of  the 
south  seek  revenge  occasionally  of  those  who 
wrong  us,  it  is  not  often  that  we  do  violence  after 
giving  a  willing  palm — I  trust  ye  of  Germany  are 
no  less  honest?" 

"  May  the  Virgin  be  deaf  to  every  ave  I  have 
sworn  to  repeat,  and  the  good  fathers  of  Loretto 
refuse  absolution,  if  I  think  more  of  it!  'Twas 
but  the  gripe  of  a  throat,  and  I  am  not  so  tender 
in  that  part  of  the  body  as  to  fear  it  is  to  be  the 
forerunner  of  a  closer  squeeze.  Didst  ever  hear 
of  a  churchman  that  suffered  in  this  way?" 

"  Men  often  escape  with  less  than  their  deserts;" 
Maso  drily  answered.  "Well,  fortune,  or  the 
saints,  or  Calvin,  or  whatever  power  most  suits 
your  tastes,  good  friends,  has  at  length  put  a  roof 
over  our  heads, — an  honor  that  rarely  arrives  to 
most  of  us,  if  I  may  judge  by  appearances  and 
some  little  knowledge  of  the  different  trades  we 
follow.  Thou  wilt  have  a  fair  occasion  to  suffer 
Policinello  to  rest  from  his  uneasy  antics,  Pippo, 
while  his  master  breathes  the  air  through  a  win 
dow  for  the  first  time  in  many  a  day,  as  I  will 
answer." 

The  Neapolitan  had  no  difficulty  in  laughing  at 
this  sally ;  for  his  was  a  nature  that  took  all  things 
pleasantly,  though  it  took  nothing  under  the  eor- 


THE    HEADSMAN.  267 

rective  of  principle  or  a  respect  for  the  rights  of 
others. 

"  Were  this  Napoli,  with  her  gentle  sky  and  hot 
volcano,"  he  said,  smiling  at  the  allusion,  "  no  ono 
would  have  less  relish  for  a  roof  than  myself." 

"Thou  wast  born  beneath  the  arch  of  some 
Duca's  gateway,"  returned  Maso,  with  a  sort  of 
reckless  sarcasm,  that  as  often  cut  his  friends  as 
his  enemies;  "thou  wilt  probably  die  in  the  hospi 
tal  of  the  poor,  and  wilt  surely  be  shot  from  the 
death-cart  into  one  of  the  daily  holes  of  thy  Campo 
Santo,  among  a  goodly  company  of  Christians,  in 
which  legs  and  arms  will  be  thrown  at  random 
like  jack-straws,  and  in  which  the  wisest  among 
ye  all  will  be  puzzled  to  tell  his  own  limbs  from 
those  of  his  neighbors,  at  the  sound  of  the  last 
trumpet." 

"Am  I  a  dog,  to  meet  this  end!"  demanded 
Pippo,  fiercely — "  or  that  I  should  not  know  my 
own  bones  from  those  of  some  infidel  rascal,  who 
may  happen  to  be  my  neighbor'?" 

"We  have  had  one  disturbance  about  brutes, 
let  us  not  have  another;"  sarcastically  rejoined 
II  Maledetto.  "  Princes  and  nobles,"  he  added, 
with  affected  gravity,  "  we  are  here  bound  by  the 
heels,  during  the  good  pleasure  of  those  who  rule 
in  Vevey;  the  wisest  course  will  be  to  pass  the 
time  in  good-humor  with  each  other,  and  as  plea 
santly  as  our  condition  will  allow.  The  reverend 
Conrad  shall  have  all  the  honors  of  a  cardinal, 
Pippo  shall  have  the  led  horse  at  his  funeral,  and, 
as  for  these  worthy  Vaudois,  who,  no  doubt,  are 
men  of  substance  in  their  way,  they  shall  be  bailiffs 
sent  by  Berne  to  rule  between  the  four  walls  of 
our  palace !  Life  is  but  a  graver  sort  of  mum 
mery,  gentlemen,  and  the  second  of  its  rarest  se 
crets  is  to  make  others  fancy  us  what  we  wish  to 
appear — the  first  being,  without  question,  the  fa 


268  THE    HEADSMAN. 

culty  of  deceiving  ourselves.  Now  each  one  has 
only  to  imagine  that  he  is  the  high  personage  I 
have  just  named,  and  the  most  difficult  part  of  the 
work  is  achieved  to  his  hands." 

"  Thou  hast  forgotten  to  name  thine  own  quality," 

ried  Pippo,  who  was  too  much  used  to  buffoonery 

ot  to  relish  the  whim  of  Maso,  and  who,  with 

Neapolitan  fickleness,  forgot  his  anger  the  instant 

he  had  given  it  vent. 

"  I  will  represent  the  sapient  public,  and,  being 
well  disposed  to  be  duped,  the  whole  job  is  com 
plete.  Practise  away,  worthies,  and  ye  shall  see 
with  what  open  eyes  and  wide  gullet  I  am  ready 
to  admire  and  swallow  all  your  philosophy." 

This  sally  produced  a  hearty  laugh,  which  rarely 
fails  to  establish  momentary  good  fellowship.  The 
Vaudois,  who  had  the  thirsty  propensities  of  moun 
taineers,  ordered  wine,  and,  as  their  guardians 
looked  upon  their  confinement  more  as  a  measure 
of  temporary  policy  than  of  serious  moment,  the 
command  was  obeyed.  In  a  short  time,  this  little 
group  of  worldlings  were  making  the  best  of  cir 
cumstances,  by  calling  in  the  aid  of  physical 
stimulants  to  cheer  their  solitude.  As  they  wash 
ed  their  throats  with  the  liquor,  which  was  both 
good  and  cheap  and  by  consequence  doubly  agree 
able,  the  true  characters  of  the  different  individ 
uals  began  to  show  themselves  in  stronger  colors. 

The  peasants  of  Vaud,  of  whom  there  were 
three  and  all  of  the  lowest  class,  became  confused 
and  dull  in  their  faculties  though  louder  and  more 
vehement  in  speech,  each  man  appearing  to  balance 
the  increasing  infirmities  of  his  reason  by  stronger 
physical  demonstrations  of  folly. 

Conrad,  the  pilgrim,  threw  aside  the  mask  entire 
ly,  if,  indeed,  so  thin  a  veil  as  that  he  ordinarily 
wore  when  not  in  the  presence  of  his  employers 
deserved  such  a  name,  and  appeared  the  miscreant 


THE    HEADSMAN.  269 

he  truly  was, — a  strange  admixture  of  cowardly 
superstition,  (for  few  meddle  with  superstition 
without  getting  more  or  less  entangled  in  its 
meshes,)  of  low  cunning,  and  of  the  most  abject 
and  gross  sensuality  and  vice.  The  invention  and 
wit  of  Pippo,  at  all  times  ready  and  ingenious 
gained  increased  powers,  but  the  torrent  of  anima 
spirits  that  were  let  loose  by  his  potations  swept 
before  it  all  reserve,  and  he  scarce  opened  his 
mouth  but  to  betray  the  thoughts  of  a  man  long 
practised  in  frauds  and  all  other  evil  designs  on 
the  rights  of  his  fellow-creatures.  On  Maso  the 
wine  produced  an  effect  that  might  almost  be 
termed  characteristic,  and  which  it  is  in  some  sort 
germane  to  the  moral  of  the  tale  to  describe. 

II  Maledetto  had  indulged  freely  and  with  ap 
parent  recklessness  in  the  frequent  draughts.  He 
was  long  familiarized  to  the  habits  of  this  wild  and 
uncouth  fellowship,  and  a  singular  sentiment,  that 
men  of  his  class  choose  to  call  honor,  and  which 
perhaps  deserves  the  name  as  much  as  half  of  the 
principles  that  are  described  by  the  same  appel 
lation,  prevented  him  from  refusing  to  incur  an 
equal  risk  in  the  common  assault  on  their  faculties, 
inducing  him  to  swallow  his  full  share  of  the  in 
toxicating  fluid  as  the  cup  passed  from  one  reek 
ing  mouth  to  another.  He  liked  the  wine,  too, 
and  tasted  its  perfume,  and  cherished  its  glowing 
influence,  with  the  perfect  good-will  of  a  man  who 
knew  how  to  profit  by  the  accident  which  placed 
such  generous  liquor  at  his  command.  He  had 
also  his  designs  in  wishing  to  unmask  his  com 
panions,  and  he  thought  the  moment  favorable  to 
such  an  intention.  In  addition  to  these  motives. 
Maso  had  his  especial  reasons  for  being  uneasy  at 
finding  himself  in  the  hands  of  the  authorities,  and 
he  was  not  sorry  to  bring  about  a  state  of  things 
X2 


270  THE    HEADSMAN. 

that  might  *ead  to  his  being  confounded  with  the 
others  in  a  group  of  vulgar  devotees  of  Bacchus. 

But  Maso  yielded  to  the  common  disposition  in 
a  manner  peculiar  to  himself.  His  eyes  became 
even  more  lustrous  than  usual,  his  face  reddened, 
and  his  voice  even  grew  thick,  while  his  senses 
retained  their  powers.  His  reason,  instead  of  giv 
ing  way,  like  those  of  the  men  around  him,  rather 
brightened  under  the  excitement,  as  if  it  foresaw 
the  danger  it  incurred,  and  the  greater  necessity 
there  existed  for  vigilance.  Though  born  in  ?. 
southern  clime,  he  was  saturnine  and  cold  when 
unexcited,  and  such  temperaments  rather  gain 
their  tone  than  lose  their  powers  by  stimulants 
under  which  men  of  feebler  organizations  sink. 
He  had  passed  his  life  amid  wild  adventure  and 
in  scenes  of  peril  which  suited  such  a  disposition, 
and  it  most  probably  required  either  some  strong 
motive  of  danger,  like  that  of  the  tempest  on  the 
Leman,  or  a  stimulant  of  another  quality,  to  draw 
out  the  latent  properties  of  his  mind,  which  so  well 
fitted  him  to  lead  when  others  were  the  most  dis 
posed  to  follow.  He  was,  therefore,  without  fear 
for  himself  while  he  aroused  his  companions ;  and 
he  was  free  of  his  purse,  which  did  not,  however, 
appear  to  be  sufficiently  stored  to  answer  very 
heavy  demands,  by  ordering  cup  after  cup  to  sup 
ply  the  place  of  those  which  were  so  quickly 
drained  to  the  dregs.  In  this  manner  an  hour 
or  two  passed  swiftly,  they  who  were  charged 
with  the  care  of  the  jolly  party  in  the  town-house 
being  much  more  occupied  in  noting  the  festivities 
without,  than  those  within,  the  prison. 

"  Thou  hast  a  merry  life  of  it,  honest  Pippo," 
cried  Conrad  with  swimming  eyes,  answering  a 
remark  of  the  buffoon.  "  Thou  art  but  a  laugh  at 
the  best;  and  wilt  go  through  the  world  grinning 
making  others  grin.  Thy  Policinello  is  a  rare 


THE    HEADSMAN.  271 

fellow,  and  I  never  meet  one  of  thy  set  that  weary 
legs  and  sore  feet  are  not  forgotten  in  his  fool 
eries  !" 

"  Corpo  di  Bacco ! — I  wish  this  were  so ;  but  thou 
hast  much  the  best  of  the  matter,  even  in  the  way 
of  amusement,  reverend  pilgrim,  though  to  the 
looker-on  it  would  seem  otherwise.  The  difference 
between  us,  pious  Conrad,  is  just  this — that  thou 
laughest  in  thy  sleeve  without  seeming  to  be  merry, 
whereas  I  yawn  ready  to  split  my  jaw^s  while  I 
seem  to  be  dying  with  fun.  Your  often-told  joke 
is  a  bad  companion,  and  gets  at  last  to  be  as 
gloomy  as  a  dirge.  Wine  can  be  swallowed  but 
once,  and  laughter  will  not  come  for  ever  for  the 
same  folly.  Cospetto  !  I  would  give  the  earnings 
of  a  year  for  a  set  of  new  jokes,  such  as  might 
come  fresh  from  the  wit  of  one  who  never  saw  a 
mountebank,  and  are  not  worn  threadbare  with 
being  rubbed  against  the  brains  of  all  the  jokers  in 
Europe." 

"  There  was  a  wise  man  of  old,  of  whom  it  is 
not  probable  that  any  of  you  have  ever  heard," 
observed  Maso,  "  who  has  said  there  was  nothing 
new  under  the  sun." 

"  He  who  said  that  never  tasted  of  this  liquor, 
which  is  as  raw  as  if  it  were  still  running  from  the 
press,"  rejoined  the  pilgrim.  "  Knave,  dost  think 
that  we  are  unknowing  in  these  matters,  that  thou 
darest  bring  a  pot  of  such  lees  to  men  of  our  quali 
ty  1  Go  to,  and  see  that  thou  doest  us  better  justice 
in  the  next !" 

"  The  wine  is  the  same  as  that  which  first  pleas 
ed  you,  but  it  is  the  nature  of  drunkenness  to  change 
the  palate;  and  therein  Solomon  was  right  as  in 
all  other  points,"  coolly  remarked  II  Maledetto. 
"  Nay,  friend,  thou  wilt  scarce  bring  thy  liquors 
again  to  those  who  do  not  know  how  to  do  tnem 
proper  honor." 


272  THE  HEADSMAN. 

Maso  thrust  the  lad  who  served  them  from  the 
room,  and  he  slipped  a  small  coin  in  his  hand, 
ordering  him  not  to  return.  Inebriety  had  made 
sufficient  ravages  for  his  ends,  and  he  was  now 
desirous  of  stopping  farther  excesses. 

"Here  come  the  mummers — gods  and  god 
desses,  shepherds  and  their  lasses  and  all  the  other 
pleasantries,  to  keep  us  in  humor !  To  do  these 
Vevaisans  justice,  they  treat  us  rarely  ;  for  ye  see 
they  send  their  players  to  amuse  our  retirement !" 

"  Wine !  liquor !  raw  or  ripe,  bring  us  liquor !" 
roared  Conrad,  Pippo,  and  their  pot-companions, 
who  were  much  too  drunk  to  detect  the  agency  of 
Maso  in  defeating  their  wishes,  though  they  were 
just  drunk  enough  to  fancy  that  what  he  said  of 
the  attention  of  the  authorities  was  not  only  true 
but  merited. 

"  How  now,  Pippo  !  art  ashamed  to  be  outdone 
in  thine  own  craft,  that  thou  bellowest  for  wine  at 
the  moment  when  the  actors  have  come  into  the 
square  to  exhibit  their  skill  ?"  cried  the  mariner. 
"  Truly,  we  shall  have  a  mean  opinion  of  thy 
merit,  if  thou  art  afraid  to  meet  a  few  Vaudois 
peasants  in  thy  trade, — and  thou  a  buffoon  of  Na- 
poli !" 

Pippo  swore  with  pot-oaths  that  he  defied  the 
cleverest  of  Switzerland ;  for  that  he  had  not  only 
acted  on  every  mall  and  mole  of  Italy,  but  that  he 
had  exhibited  in  private  before  princes  and  cardi 
nals,  and  that  he  had  no  superior  on  either  side  of 
the  Alps.  Maso  profited  by  his  advantage,  and, 
by  applying  fresh  goads  to  'his  vanity,  soon  suc 
ceeded  in  causing  him  to  forget  the  wine,  and  in 
drawing  him,  with  all  the  others,  to  the  windows. 

The  processions,  in  making  the  circuit  of  the 
city,  had  now  reached  the  square  of  the  town- 
house,  where  the  acting  and  exhibition  were  re 
peated,  as  has  been  already  related  in  general 


THE    HEADSMAN.  273 

terms  to  the  reader.  There  were  the  officers  of  the 
abbaye,  the  vine-dressers,  the  shepherds  and  the 
shepherdesses,  Flora,  Ceres,  Pales,  and  Bacchus, 
with  all  the  others,  attended  by  their  several  trains 
and  borne  in  state  as  became  their  high  attributes 
Silenus  rolled  from  his  ass,  to  the  great  joy  of 
thousand  shouting  blackguards,  and  to  the  infinit 
scandal  of  the  prisoners  at  the  windows,  the  latter 
affirming  to  a  man  that  there  was  no  acting  in  the 
case,  but  that  the  demigod  was  shamefully  under 
the  influence  of  too  many  potations  that  had  been 
swallowed  in  his  own  honor. 

We  shall  not  go  over  the  details  of  these  scenes, 
which  all  who  have  ever  witnessed  a  public  cele 
bration  will  readily  imagine,  nor  is  it  necessary  to 
record  the  different  sallies  of  wit  that,  under  the 
inspiration  of  the  warm  wines  of  Ve"vey  and  the 
excitement  of  the  revels,  issued  from  the  group 
that  clustered  around  the  windows  of  the  prison. 
All  who  have  ever  listened  to  low  humor,  that  is 
rather  deadened  than  quickened  by  liquor,  will 
understand  their  character,  and  they  who  have 
not  will  scarcely  be  losers  by  the  omission. 

At  length  the  different  allegories  drawn  from  the 
heathen  mythology  ended,  and  the  procession  of 
the  nuptials  came  into  the  square.  The  meek  and 
gentle  Christine  had  appeared  nowhere  that  day 
without  awakening  strong  sympathy  in  her  youth, 
beauty,  and  apparent  innocence.  Murmurs  of 
approbation  accompanied  her  steps,  and  the  maid 
en,  more  accustomed  to  her  situation,  began  to 
feel,  probably  for  the  first  time  since  she  had  known 
the  secret  of  her  origin,  something  like  that  secu 
rity  which  is  an  indispensable  accompaniment  of 
happiness.  Long  used  to  think  of  herself  as  one 
proscribed  of  opinion,  and  educated  in  the  retire 
ment  suited  to  the  views  of  her  parents,  the  praises 
that  reached  her  sar  could  lot  but  be  grateful, 


274  THE    HEADSMAN. 

and  they  went  warm  and  cheeringly  to  her  heart, 
in  spite  of  the  sense  of  apprehension  and  uneasiness 
that  had  so  long  harbored  there.  Throughout  the 
whole  of  the  day,  until  now,  she  had  scarce  dared 
to  turn  her  eyes  to  her  future  husband, — him  who, 
in  her  simple  and  single-minded  judgment,  had 
braved  prejudice  to  do  justice  to  her  worth ;  but, 
as  the  applause,  which  had  been  hitherto  suppress 
ed,  broke  out  in  loud  acclamations  in  the  square  of 
the  town-house,  the  color  mantled  brightly  on  her 
cheek,  and  she  looked  with  modest  pride  at  her 
companion,  as  if  she  would  say  in  the  silent  ap 
peal,  that  his  generous  choice  would  not  go  entire 
ly  without  its  reward.  The  crowd  responded  to 
the  sentiment,  and  never  did  votaries  of  Hymen 
approach  the  altar  seemingly  under  happier  aus 
pices. 

The  influence  of  innocence  and  beauty  is  uni 
versal.  Even  the  unprincipled  and  half-intoxicatea 
prisoners  were  loud  in  praise  of  the  gentle  Chris 
tine.  One  praised  her  modesty,  another  extolled 
her  personal  appearance,  and  all  united  with  the 
multitude  in  shouting  to  her  honor.  The  blood  of 
the  bridegroom  began  to  quicken,  and,  by  the  time 
the  train  had  halted  in  the  open  space  near  the 
building,  immediately  beneath  the  windows  occu 
pied  by  Maso  and  his  fellows,  he  was  looking  about 
him  in  the  exultation  of  a  vulgar  mind,  which  finds 
its  delight  in,  as  it  is  apt  to  form  its  judgments 
from,  the  suffrages  of  others. 

"  Here  is  a  grand  and  beautiful  festa !"  said  the 
hiccoughing  Pippo,  "  and  a  most  willing  bride ! 
San  Gennaro  bless  thee,  bella  sposina,  and  the 
worthy  man  who  is  the  stem  of  so  fair  a  rose ! 
Send  us  wine,  generous  groom  and  happy  bride, 
that  we  may  drink  to  the  health  of  thee  and 
thine !" 

Christine  changsd   color,  and  looked  furtively 


THE    HEADSMAN.  275 

around,  for  they  who  lie  under  the  weight  of  the 
world's  displeasure,  though  innocent,  are  sensitive  • 
ly  jealous  of  allusions  to  the  sore  points  in  their 
histories.  The  feeling  communicated  itself  to  her 
companion,  who  threw  distrustful  glances  at  the 
crowd,  in  order  to  ascertain  if  the  secret  of  his 
bride's  birth  were  not  discovered. 

"  A  braver  festa  never  honored  an  Italian  cor- 
so,"  continued  the  Neapolitan,  whose  head  was 
running  on  his  own  fancies,  without  troubling  itself 
about  the  apprehensions  and  wishes  of  others.  "  A 
gallant  array  and  a  fair  bride !  Send  us  wine,  fe- 
licissimi  sposi,  that  we  may  drink  to  your  eternal 
fame  and  happiness  !  Happy  the  father  that  calls 
thee  daughter,  bella  sposa,  and  most  honored  the 
mother  that  bare  so  excellent  a  child !  Scellerati, 
ye  of  the  crowd,  why  do  ye  not  bear  the  worthy 
parents  in  your  arms,  that  all  may  see  and  do 
homage  to  the  honorable  roots  of  so  rich  a  branch ! 
Send  us  wine,  buona  gente,  send  us  cups  of  merry 
wine !" 

The  cries  and  figurative  language  of  Pippo  at 
tracted  the  attention  of  the  multitude,  who  were 
additionally  amused  by  the  mixture  of  dialects  in 
which  he  uttered  his  appeals.  The  least  impor 
tant  trifles,  by  giving  a  new  direction  to  popular 
sympathies,  frequently  become  the  parents  of  grave 
events.  The  crowd,  which  followed  the  train  of 
Hymen,  had  begun  to  weary  with  the  repetition  of 
the  same  ceremonies,  and  it  now  gladly  lent  itself 
to  the  episode  of  the  felicitations  and  entreaties  of 
the  half-intoxicated  Neapolitan. 

"  Come  forth,  and  act  the  father  of  the  happy 
bride,  thyself,  reverend  and  grave  stranger ;"  cried 
one  in  derision,  from  the  throng.  "  So  excellent 
an  example  will  descend  to  thy  children's  children, 
in  blessings  on  thy  line  !" 

A  shout  of  laughter  rewarded  this  retort    It 


276  THE    HEADSMAN. 

put  the  quick-witted  Neapolitan  on  his  mettle,  to 
produce  a  prompt  and  suitable  reply. 

"  My  blessing  on  the  blushing  rose !"  he  answer 
ed  in  an  instant.  "  There  are  worse  parents  than 
Pippo,  for  he  who  lives  by  making  others  laugh 
deserves  well  of  men,  whereas  there  is  your  medi 
co,  who  eats  the  bread  of  colics,  and  rheumatisms, 
and  other  foul  diseases,  of  which  he  pretends  to 
be  the  enemy,  though,  San  Gennaro  to  aid ! — who 
is  there  so  silly,  as  not  to  see  that  the  knavish 
doctor  and  the  knavish  distemper  play  into  each 
others  hands,  as  readily  as  Policinello  and  the 
monkey." 

"  Hast  thou  another  worse  than  thyself  that  can 
be  named,"  cried  he  of  the  crowd. 

"  A  score,  and  thou  shalt  be  of  the  number. 
My  blessing  on  the  fair  bride  !  thrice  happy  is  she 
that  hath  a  right  to  receive  the  benediction  from 
one  of  so  honest  life  as  the  merry  Pippo.  Speak 
not  I  the  truth,  figligiola  ?" 

Christine  perceived  that  the  hand  of  her  com 
panion  was  coldly  releasing  her  own,  and  she  felt 
the  creeping  sensation  of  the  blood  which  is  the 
common  attendant  of  extreme  and  humiliating 
shame.  Still  she  bore  up  against  the  weakness, 
with  that  deep  reliance  on  the  justice  of  others 
which  is  usually  the  most  strongly  seated  in  those 
who  are  the  most  innocent ;  and  she  followed  the 
procession,  in  its  circuit,  with  a  step  whose  trem 
bling  was  mistaken  for  no  more  than  the  embar 
rassment  natural  to  her  situation. 

At  this  moment,  as  the  mummers  were  wheeling 
past  the  town-house,  and  the  air  was  filled  with 
music,  while  a  general  movement  stirred  the  mul 
titude,  a  cry  of  alarm  arose  in  the  building.  It 
was  immediately  succeeded  by  such  a  rush  of  bo 
dies  towards  the  spot,  as  indicates,  in  a  throng,  a 


THE    HEADSMAN.  277 

sudden  and  general  interest  in  some  new  and  ex 
traordinary  event. 

The  crowd  was  beaten  back  and  dispersed; 
the  procession  had  disappeared,  and  there  was  an 
junusual  .appearance  of  activity  and  mystery  among 
^he  officials  of  the  place,  before  the  cause  of  this 
disturbance  began  to  be  whispered  among  the  few 
who  remained  in  the  square.  The  rumor  ran  that 
one  of  the  prisoners,  an  athletic  Italian  mariner 
had  profited  by  the  attention  of  all  the  other  guar 
dians  of  the  place  being  occupied  by  the  ceremo 
nies,  to  knock  down  the  solitary  sentinel,  and  tc 
effect  his  escape,  followed  by  all  the  drunkards 
who  were  able  to  run. 

The  evasion  of  a  few  lawless  blackguards  from 
their  prison  was  not  an  event  likely  long  to  divert 
the  attention  of  the  curious  from  the  amusements 
of  the  day,  especially  as  it  was  understood  that 
their  confinement  would  have  terminated  of  itself 
with  the  setting  sun.  But  when  the  fact  was  com 
municated  to  Peter  Hofmeister,  the  sturdy  bailiff 
swore  fifty  harsh  oaths  at  the  impudence  of  the 
knaves,  at  the  carelessness  of  their  keepers,  and  in 
honor  of  the  good  cause  of  justice  in  general. 
After  which  he  incontinently  commanded  that  the 
runaways  should  be  apprehended.  This  material 
part  of  the  process  achieved,  he  moreover  ordered 
that  they  should  be  brought  forthwith  into  his 
presence,  even  should  he  be  engaged  in  the  most 
serious  of  the  ceremonies  of  the  day,  The  voice 
of  Peter  speaking  in  anger  was  not  likely  to  be 
unheard,  and  the  stern  mandate  had  scarcely  is 
sued  from  his  lips,  when  a  dozen  of  the  common 
thief-takers  of  Vaud  set  about  the  affair  in  good 
earnest,  and  with  the  best  possible  intentions  to 
effect  their  object.  In  the  mean  time  the  sports 
continued,  and,  as  the  day  drew  on,  and  the  hour 
for  the  banquet  approached,  the  good  people  began 


278  THE    HEADSMAN 

to  collect  once  more  in  the  great  square  to  witness 
the  closing  scenes,  and  to  be  present  at  the  nuptial 
benediction,  which  was  to  be  pronounced  over 
Jacques  Colis  and  Christine  by  a  real  servitor  of 
the  altar,  as  the  last  and  most  important  of  the 
ceremonies  of  that  eventful  day. 


CHAPTER  XYIL 

Ay,  marry ;  now  unmuzzle  your  wisdom. 

ROSALIND. 

THE  hour  of  noon  was  past,  when  the  stage  was 
a  second  time  filled  with  the  privileged.  The  mul 
titude  was  again  disposed  around  the  area  of  the 
square,  and  the  bailiff  and  his  friends  once  more 
occupied  the  seats  of  honor  in  the  centre  of  the 
long  estrade.  Procession  after  procession  now 
began  to  reappear,  for  all  had  made  the  circuit  of 
the  city,  and  each  had  repeated  its  mummeries  so 
often  that  the  actors  grew  weary  of  their  sports. 
Still,  as  the  several  groups  came  again  into  the 
high  presence  of  the  bailiff  and  the  elite  not  only 
of  their  own  country  but  of  so  many  others,  pride 
overcame  fatigue,  and  the  songs  and  dances  were 
renewed  with  the  necessary  appearance  of  good 
will  and  zeal.  Peter  Hofmeister  and  divers  others 
of  the  magnates  of  the  canton,  were  particularly 
loud  in  their  plaudits  on  this  repetition  of  the  games, 
for,  by  a  process  that  will  be  easily  understood, 
they,  who  had  been  revelling  and  taking  their 
potations  in  the  marquees  and  booths  while  the 
mummers  were  absent,  were  more  than  qualified 
to  supply  the  deficiencies  of  the  actors  by  the 


THE    HEADSMAN.  279 

warmth  and  exuberance  of  their  own  warmed 
Imaginations.  The  bailiff,  in  particular,  as  became 
nis  high  office  and  determined  character,  was  un 
usually  talkative  and  decided,  both  as  respects  the 
criticisms  and  encomiums  he  uttered  on  the  various 
performances,  making  as  light  of  his  own  peculiar 
qualifications  to  deal  with  the  subject,  as  if  he  were 
a  common  hack-reviewer  of  our  own  times,  who 
is  known  to  keep  in  view  the  quantity  rather  than 
the  quality  of  his  remarks,  and  the  stipulated  price 
he  is  to  receive  per  line.  Indeed  the  parallel  would 
hold  good  in  more  respects  than  that  of  knowledge, 
for  his  language  was  unusually  captious  and  super 
cilious,  his  tone  authoritative,  and  his  motive  the 
desire  to  exhibit  his  own  endowments,  rather  than 
the  wash  he  affected  to  manifest  of  setting  forth  the 
excellences  of  others.  His  speeches  were  more 
frequently  than  ever  directed  to  the  Signor  Gri- 
maldi,  for  whom  there  had  suddenly  arisen  in  his 
mind  a  still  stronger  gusto  than  that  he  had  so  libe 
rally  manifested,  and  which  had  already  drawn  so 
much  attention  to  the  deportment  of  this  pleasing 
but  modest  stranger.  Still  he  never  failed  to  compel 
all,  within  reach  of  a  reasonable  exercise  of  nis 
voice,  to  listen  to  his  oracles. 

"Those  that  have  passed,  brother  Melchior," 
said  the  bailiff,  addressing  the  Baron  de  Willading 
in  the  fraternal  style  of  the  burgerschaft,  while  his 
eye  was  directed  to  the  Genoese,  in  whom  in  reality 
he  wished  to  excite  admiration  for  his  readiness  in 
Heathen  lore,  "  are  no  more  than  shepherds  and 
shepherdesses  of  our  mountains,  and  none  of  your 
gods  and  demigods,  the  former  of  which  are  to  be 
known  in  this  ceremony  from  all  others  by  the  fact 
that  they  are  carried  on  men's  shoulders,  and  the 
latter  that  they  ride  on  asses,  or  have  other  con 
veniences  natural  to  their  wants.  Ah!  here  we 
have  the  higher  orders  of  the  mummers  in  person 


280  THE    HEADSMAN. 

— this  comely  creature  is,  in  reality,  Mariette  Mar- 
ron  of  this  country,  as  strapping  a  wench  as  there 
is  in  Vaud,  and  as  impudent — but  no  matter  !  She 
is  now  the  Priestess  of  Flora,  and  I'll  warrant  you 
there  is  not  a  horn  in  all  our  valleys  that  will  bring 
a  louder  echo  out  of  the  rocks  than  this  very  priest 
ess  will  raise  with  her  single  throat !  That  yonder 
on  the  throne  is  Flora  herself,  represented  by  a 
comely  young  woman,  the  daughter  of  a  warm 
citizen  here  in  Vevey,  and  one  able  to  give  her  all 
the  equipments  she  bears,  without  taxing  the  ab- 
baye  a  doit.  I  warrant  you  that  every  flower 
about  her  was  culled  from  their  own  garden  !" 

"  Thou  treatest  the  poetry  of  the  ceremonies 
with  so  little  respect,  good  Peterchen,  that  the 
goddess  and  her  train  dwindle  into  little  more  than 
vine-dressers  and  milk-maids  beneath  thy  tongue." 

"  Of  Heaven's  sake,  friend  Melchior,"  interrupt 
ed  the  amused  Genoese,  "  do  not  rob  us  of  the 
advantage  of  the  worthy  bailifPs  graphic  remarks. 
Your  Heathen  may  be  well  enough  in  his  way,  but 
surely  he  is  none  the  worse  for  a  few  notes  and 
illustrations,  that  would  do  credit  to  a  Doctor  of 
Padova.  I  entreat  you  to  continue,  learned  Peter, 
that  we  strangers  may  lose  none  of  the  niceties  of 
the  exhibition." 

"  Thou  seest,  baron,"  returned  the  well-warmed 
bailiff,  with  a  look  of  triumph,  "  a  little  explanation 
can  never  injure  a  good  thing,  though  it  were  even 
the  law  itself.  Ah  !  yon  is  Ceres  and  her  company, 
and  a  goodly  train  they  appear !  These  are  the 
harvest-men  and  harvest-women,  who  represent 
the  abundance  of  our  country  of  Vaud,  Signor 
Grimaldi,  which,  truth  to  say,  is  a  fat  land,  and 
worthy  of  the  allegory.  These  knaves,  with  the 
stools  strapped  to  their  nether  parts,  and  carrying 
tubs,  are  cowherds,  and  all  the  others  are  more  or 
less  concerned  with  the  dairy.  Ceres  was  a  per 


THE    HEADSMAN.  281 

sonage  of  importance  among  the  ancients,  beyond 
dispute,  as  may  be  seen  by  the  manner  in  which 
she  is  backed  by  the  landed  interest.  There  is  no 
solid  respectability,  Herr  von  Willading,  that  is 
not  fairly  bottomed  on  broad  lands.  Ye  perceive 
that  the  goddess  sits  on  a  throne  whose  ornaments 
are  all  taken  from  the  earth ;  a  sheaf  of  wheat 
tops  the  canopy;  rich  ears  of  generous  grain  are 
her  jewels,  and  her  sceptre  is  the  sickle.  These 
are  but  allegories,  Signor  Grimaldi,  but  they  are 
allusions  that  give  birth  to  wholesome  thoughts  in 
the  prudent.  There  is  no  science  that  may  not 
catch  a  hint  from  our  games  ;  politics,  religion,  or 
law — 'tis  all  the  same  for  the  well-disposed  and 
cunning." 

"  An  ingenious  scholar  might  even  find  an  ar 
gument  for  the  biirgerschaft  in  an  allegory  that  is 
less  clear ;"  returned  the  amused  Genoese.  "  But 
you  have  overlooked,  Signor  Bailiff,  the  instru 
ment  that  Ceres  carries  in  the  other  hand,  and 
which  is  full  to  overflowing  with  the  fruits  of  the 
earth; — that  which  so  much  resembles  a  bullock's 
horn,  I  mean." 

"  That  is,  out  of  question,  some  of  the  utensils 
of  the  ancients ;  perhaps  a  milking  vessel  in  use 
among  the  gods  and  goddesses,  for  your  deities  of 
old  were  no  bad  housewives,  and  made  a  merit  of 
their  economy ;  and  Ceres  here,  as  is  seen,  is  not 
ashamed  of  a  useful  occupation.  By  my  faith,  but 
this  affair  has  been  gotten  up  with  a  very  credita 
ble  attention  to  the  moral !  But  our  dairy-people 
are  about  to  give  us  some  of  their  airs." 

Peterchen  now  put  a  stop  to  his  classic  lore, 
while  the  followers  of  Ceres  arranged  themselves 
in  order,  and  began  to  sing.  The  contagious  and 
wild  melody  of  the  Ranz  des  Vaches  rose  in  the 
square,  and  soon  drew  the  absorbed  and  delighted 
attention  of  all  within  hearing,  which,  to  say  the 
Y2 


282  THE    HEADSMAN. 

truth,  wa?  little  less  than  all  who  were  within  the 
limits  of  the  town,  for,  the  crowd  chiming  in  with 
the  more  regular  artists,  a  sort  of  musical  enthu 
siasm  seized  upon  all  present  who  came  of  Vaud 
and  her  valleys.  The  dogmatical,  but  well-mean 
ing  bailiff,  though  usually  jealous  of  his  Bernese 
origin,  and  alive  on  system  to  the  necessity  of 
preserving  the  superiority  of  the  great  canton  by 
all  the  common  observances  of  dignity  and  re 
serve,  yielded  to  the  general  movement,  and  shout 
ed  with  the  rest,  under  favor  of  a  pair  of  lungs 
that  nature  had  admirably  fitted  to  sustain  the 
chorus  of  a  mountain  song.  This  condescension 
in  the  deputy  of  Berne  was  often  spoken  of  after 
wards  with  admiration,  the  simple-minded  and 
credulous  ascribing  the  exaltation  of  Peterchen  to 
a  generous  warmth  in  their  happiness  and  inter 
ests,  while  the  more  wary  and  observant  were  apt 
to  impute  the  musical  excess  to  a  previous  excess 
of  another  character,  in  which  the  wines  of  the 
neighboring  cotes  were  fairly  entitled  to  come  in 
for  a  full  share  of  the  merit.  Those  who  were 
nearest  the  bailiff  were  secretly  much  diverted 
with  his  awkward  attempts  at  graciousness,  which 
one  fair  and  witty  Vaudoise  likened  to  the  antics 
of  one  of  the  celebrated  animals  that  are  still  fos 
tered  in  the  city  which  ruled  so  much  of  Switzer 
land,  and  from  whom,  indeed,  the  town  and  canton 
are  both  vulgarly  supposed  to  have  derived  their 
common  name ;  for,  while  the  authority  of  Berne 
weighed  so  imperiously  and  heavily  on  its  subsidia 
ry  countries,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases,  the  people 
of  the  latter  were  much  addicted  to  taking  an  im 
potent  revenge,  by  whispering  the  pleasantest  sar 
casms  they  could  invent  against  their  masters. 
Notwithstanding  this  and  many  more  criticisms  on 
his  performance,  the  bailiff  enacted  his  part  in  the 
representation  to  his  own  entire  satisfaction ;  and 


THE    HEADSMAN.  283 

he  resumed  his  seat  with  a  consciousness  of  hav 
ing  at  least  merited  the  applause  of  the  people,  for 
navmg  entered  with  so  much  spirit  into  their 
games,  and  with  the  hope  that  this  act  of  grace 
might  be  the  means  of  causing  them  to  forget 
some  fifty,  or  a  hundred,  of  his  other  acts,  which 
certainly  had  not  possessed  the  same  melodious 
and  companionable  features. 

After  this  achievement  the  bailiff  was  reasona 
bly  quiet,  until  Bacchus  and  his  train  again  entered 
the  square.  At  the  appearance  of  the  laughing 
urchin  who  bestrode  the  cask,  he  resumed  his  dis 
sertations  with  a  confidence  that  all  are  apt  to  feel 
who  are  about  to  treat  on  a  subject  with  which 
they  have  had  occasion  to  be  familiar. 

"  This  is  the  god  of  good  liquor,"  said  Peter 
chen,  always  speaking  to  any  who  would  listen 
although,  by  an  instinct  of  respect,  he  chiefly  pre 
ferred  favoring  the  Signor  Grimaldi  with  his 
remarks,  "  as  may  plainly  be  seen  by  his  seat ;  and 
these  are  dancing  attendants  to  show  that  wine 
gladdens  the  heart ; — yonder  is  the  press  at  work, 
extracting  the  juices,  and  that  huge  cluster  is  to 
represent  the  grapes  which  the  messengers  of 
Joshua  brought  back  from  Canaan  when  sent  to 
spy  out  the  land,  a  history  which  I  make  no  doubt 
you  Signore,  in  Italy,  have  at  your  fingers'  ends.'" 

Gaetano  Grimaldi  looked  embarrassed,  for, 
although  well  skilled  in  the  lore  of  the  heathen 
mythology,  his  learning  as  a  male  papist  and  a  laic 
was  not  particularly  rich  in  the  story  of  the  Chris 
tian  faith.  At  first  he  supposed  that  the  bailiff  had 
merely  blundered  in  his  account  of  the  mythology, 
but,  by  taxing  his  memory  a  little,  he  recovered 
some  faint  glimpses  of  the  truth,  a  redemption  of 
his  character  as  a  book-man  for  which  he  was  ma 
terially  indebted  to  having  seen  some  celebrated 
pictures  on  this  very  subject,  a  species  of  instruc 


284  THE    HEADSMAN. 

tion  in  holy  writ  that  is  sufficiently  common  among 
those  who  inhabit  the  Catholic  countries  of  the 
other  hemisphere. 

"  Thou  surely  hast  not  overlooked  the  history  of 
the  gigantic  cluster  of  grapes,  Signore  !"  exclaim 
ed  Peterchen,  astonished  at  the  apparent  hesitation 
of  the  Italian.  "  'Tis  the  most  beautiful  of  all  the 
legends  of  the  holy  book.  Ha !  as  I  live,  there  is 
the  ass  without  his  rider ; — what  has  become  of 
the  blackguard  Antolne  Giraud  ?  The  rogue  has 
alighted  to  swallow  a  fresh  draught  from  some 
booth,  after  draining  his  own  skin  to  the  bottom. 
This  comes  of  neglect ;  a  sober  man,  or  at  least 
one  of  a  harder  head,  should  have  been  put  to  the 
part; — for,  look  you, 'tis  a  character  that  need 
stand  at  least  a  gallon,  since  the  rehearsals  alone 
are  enough  to  take  a  common  drinker  off  his 
centre." 

The  tongue  of  the  bailiff  ran  on  in  accompani 
ment,  during  the  time  that  the  followers  of  Bac 
chus  were  going  through  with  their  songs  and 
pageants,  and  when  they  disappeared,  it  gained  a 
louder  key,  like  the  "  rolling  river  that  murmuring 
flows  and  flows  for  ever,"  rising  again  on  the  ear, 
after  the  din  of  any  adventitious  noise  has  ceased. 

"  Now  we  may  expect  the  pretty  bride  and  her 
maids,"  continued  Peterchen,  winking  at  his  com 
panions,  as  the  ancient  gallant  is  wont  to  make  a 
parade  of  his  admiration  of  the  fair;  "the  solemn 
ceremony  is  to  be  pronounced  here,  before  the 
authorities,  as  a  suitable  termination  to  this  happy 
day.  Ah !  my  good  old  friend  Melchior,  neither 
of  us  is  the  man  he  was,  or  these  skipping  hoydens 
would  not  go  through  their  pirouettes  without  some 
aid  from  our  arms  !  Now,  dispose  of  yourselves, 
friends ;  for  this  is  to  be  no  acting,  but  a  down 
right  marriage,  and  it  is»  meet  that  we  keep  a  gra- 


THE    HEADSMAN.  285 

ver  air.     How !  what  means  the  movement  among 
the  officers  ?" 

Peterchen  had  interrupted  himself,  for  just  at 
that  moment  the  thief-takers  entered  the  square  in 
a  body,  inclosing  in  their  centre  a  group,  who  had 
the  mien  of  captives  too  evidently  to  be  mistaken 
for  honest  men.  The  bailiff  was  peculiarly  an 
executive  officer ;  one  of  that  class  who  believe 
that  the  enactment  of  a  law  is  a  point  of  far  less 
interest  than  its  due  fulfilment.  Indeed,  so  far  did 
he  push  his  favorite  principle,  that  he  did  not  hesi 
tate  sometimes  to  suppose  shades  of  meaning  in 
the  different  ordinances  of  the  great  council  that 
existed  only  in  his  own  brain,  but  which  were,  to 
do  him  justice,  sufficiently  convenient  to  himself  in 
carrying  out  the  constructions  which  he  saw  fit  to 
put  on  his  own  duties.  The  appearance  of  an 
affair  of  justice  was  unfortunate  for  the  progress 
of  the  ceremonies,  Peterchen  having  some  such 
relish  for  the  punishment  of  rogues,  and  more  es 
pecially  for  such  as  seemed  to  be  an  eternal 
reproach  to  the  action  of  the  Bernese  system  by 
their  incorrigible  misery  and  poverty,  as  an  old 
coachman  is  proverbially  said  to  retain  for  the 
crack  of  the  whip.  All  his  judicial  sympathies 
were  not  fully  awakened,  on  the  present  occasion, 
however;  the  criminals,  though  far  from  belong 
ing  to  the  more  lucky  of  their  fellow-creatures,  not 
being  quite  miserable  enough  in  appearance  to 
awaken  :tll  those  powers  of  magisterial  reproach 
and  severity  that  lay  dormant  in  the  bailiff's  moral 
temperament,  ready,  at  any  time,  to  vindicate  the 
right  of  the  strong  against  the  innovations  of  the 
feeble  and  unhappy.  The  reader  will  at  once 
have  anticipated  that  the  prisoners  were  Ma  so  and 
his  companions,  who  had  been  more  successful  in 
escaping  from  their  keepers,  than  fortunate  ineva- 


286  THE    HEADSMAN. 

ding  the  attempts  to  secure  their  persons  a  second 
time. 

"Who  are  these  that  dare  affront  the  ruling 
powers  on  this  day  of  general  good-will  and  rejoic 
ing?"  sternly  demanded  the  bailiff,  when  the  minions 
of  the  law  and  their  captives  stood  fairly  before 
him.  "  Do  ye  not  know,  knaves,  that  this  is  a 
solemn,  almost  a  religious  ceremony  at  Vevey — for 
so  it  would  be  considered  by  the  ancients  at  least — 
and  that  a  crime  is  doubly  a  crime  when  commit 
ted  either  in  an  honorable  presence,  on  a  solemn 
and  dignified  occasion,  like  this,  or  against  the 
authorities ; — this  last  being  always  the  gravest 
and  greatest  of  all  1" 

"We  ape  but  indifferent  scholars,  worshipful 
bailiff,  as  you  may  easily  perceive  by  our  outward 
appearance,  and  are  to  be  judged  leniently,"  an 
swered  Maso.  "  Our  whole  offence  was  a  hot  but 
short  quarrel  touching  a  dog,  in  which  hands  were 
made  to  play  the  part  of  reason,  and  which  would 
have  done  little  harm  to  any  but  ourselves,  had  it 
been  the  pleasure  of  the  town  authorities  to  have 
left  us  to  decide  the  dispute  in  our  own  way.  As 
you  well  say,  this  is  a  joyous  occasion,  and  we 
esteem  it  hard  that  we  of  all  Vevey  should  be  shut 
np  on  account  of  so  light  an  affair,  and  cut  off  from 
the  merriment  of  the  rest." 

"  There  is  reason  in  this  fellow,  after  all,"  said 
Peterchen,  in  a  low  voice.  "  What  is  a  dog  more 
or  less  to  Berne,  and  a  public  rejoicing  to  produce 
its  end  should  go  deep  into  the  community.  Let 
the  men  go,  of  God's  name !  and  look  to  it,  that 
all  the  dogs  be  beaten  out  of  the  square,  that  we 
have  no  more  folly." 

"  Please  you,  these  are  the  men  that  have  escap 
ed  from  the  authorities,  after  knocking  down  tl  eir 
keeper;"  the  officer  humbly  observed. 


THE    HEADSMAN.  287 

"  How  is  this !  Didst  thou  not  say,  fellow,  that 
it  was  all  about  a  dog  ?" 

"  I  spoke  of  the  reason  of  our  being  shut  up.  It 
is  true  that,  wearied  with  breathing  pent  air,  and  a 
little  heated  with  wine,  we  left  the  prison  without 
permission ;  but  we  hope  this  little  sally  of  spirit 
will  be  overlooked  on  account  of  the  extraordinary 
occasion." 

"  Rogue,  thy  plea  augments  the  offence.  A 
crime  committed  on  an  extraordinary  occasion 
becomes  an  extraordinary  crime,  and  requires 
an  extraordinary  punishment,  which  I  intend  to 
see  inflicted,  forthwith.  You  have  insulted  the 
authorities,  and  that  is  the  unpardonable  sin  in 
all  communities.  Draw  nearer,  friends,  for  I 
love  to  let  my  reasons  be  felt  and  understood  by 
those  who  are  to  be  affected  by  my  decisions,  and 
this  is  a  happy  moment,  to  give  a  short  lesson  to 
the  Vevaisans — let  the  bride  and  bridegroom  wait 
— draw  nearer  all,  that  ye  may  better  hear  what 
I  have  to  say." 

The  crowd  pressed  more  closely  around  the 
foot  of  the  stage,  and  Peterchen,  assuming  a  didac 
tic  air,  resumed  his  discourse. 

"  The  object  of  all  authority  is  to  find  the  means  of 
its  own  support,"  continued  the  bailiff;  "  for  unless 
it  can  exist,  it  must  fall  to  the  ground;  and  you  all 
are  sufficiently  schooled  to  know  that  when  a  thing 
becomes  of  indifferent  value,  it  loses  most  of  its 
consideration.  Thus  government  is  established  in 
order  that  it  may  protect  itself;  since  without  this 
power  it  could  not  remain  a  government,  and  there 
is  not  a  man  existing  who  is  not  ready  to  admi 
that  even  a  bad  government  is  better  than  none. 
But  ours  is  particularly  a  good  government,  its 
greatest  care  on  all  occasions  being  to  make  itself 
respected,  ana  he  who  respects  himself  is  certain  to 
have  esteem  in  the  eyes  of  others.  Without  this 


288  THE    HEADSMAN. 

security  we  should  become  like  the  unbridled 
steed,  or  the  victims  of  anarchy  and  confusion,  ay, 
and  damnable  heresies  in  religion.  Thus  you  see, 
my  friends,  your  choice  lies  between  the  govern 
ment  of  Berne,  or  no  government  at  all ;  for  when 
only  two  things  exist,  by  taking  one  away  the  num 
ber  is  reduced  half,  and  as  the  great  canton  will 
keep  its  own  share  of  the  institutions,  by  taking 
half  away,  Vaud  is  left  as  naked  as  my  hand. 
Ask  yourselves  if  you  have  any  government  but 
this  ?  You  know  you  have  not.'  Were  you  quit 
of  Berne,  therefore,  you  clearly  would  have  none 
at  all.  Officer,  you  have  a  sword  at  your  side, 
which  is  a  good  type  of  our  authority ;  draw  it 
and  hold  it  up,  that  all  may  see  it.  You  perceive, 
my  friends,  that  the  officer  hath  a  sword ;  but  that 
he  hath  only  one  sword.  Lay  it  at  thy  feet,  officer. 
You  perceive,  friends,  that  having  but  one  sword, 
and  laying  that  sword  aside,  he  no  longer  hath  a 
sword  at  all !  That  weapon  represents  our  author 
ity,  which  laid  aside  becomes  no  authority,  leav 
ing  us  with  an  unarmed  hand." 

This  happy  comparison  drew  a  murmur  of  ap 
plause  ;  the  proposition  of  Peterchen  having  most 
of  the  properties  of  a  popular  theory,  being  defi 
cient  in  neither  a  bold  assertion,  a  brief  exposition, 
nor  a  practical  illustration.  The  latter  in  particu 
lar  was  long  afterwards  spoken  of  in  Vaud,  as  an 
exposition  little  short  of  the  well-known  judgment 
of  Solomon,  who  had  resorted  to  the  same  keen- 
edged  weapon  in  order  to  solve  a  point  almost  as 
knotty  as  this  settled  by  the  bailiff.  When  the 
approbation  had  a  little  subsided,  the  warmed  Pe 
terchen  continued  his  discourse,  which  possessed 
the  random  and  generalized  logic  of  most  of  the 
dissertations  that  are  uttered  in  the  interests  of 
things  as  they  are,  without  paying  any  particular 
deference  to  things  as  they  should  be. 


THE   HEADSMAN.  289 

**  What  is  the  use  of  teaching  the  multitude  to 
read  and  write?"  he  asked.  "Had  not  Franz 
KatuTman  known  how  to  write,  could  he  have 
imitated  his  master's  hand,  and  would  he  have  lost 
his  head  for  mistaking  another  man's  name  for  his 
own?  a  little  reflection  shows  us  he  would  not. 
Now,  as  for  the  other  art,  could  the  people  read 
bad  books  had  they  never  learned  the  alphabet? 
If  there  is  a  man  present  who  can  say  to  the  con 
trary,  I  absolve  him  from  his  respect,  and  invite 
him  to  speak  boldly,  for  there  is  no  Inquisition  in 
Vaud,  but  we  invite  argument.  This  is  a  free 
government,  and  a  fatherly  government,  and  a 
mild  government,  as  ye  all  know;  but  it  is  not  a 
government  that  likes  reading  and  writing;  read 
ing  that  leads  to  the  perusal  of  bad  books,  and 
writing  that  causes  false  signatures.  Fellow- 
citizens,  for  we  are  all  equal,  with  the  exception 
of  certain  differences  that  need  not  now  be  named, 
it  is  a  government  for  your  good,  and  therefore  it 
is  a  government  that  likes  itself,  and  whose  first 
duty  it  is  to  protect  itself  and  its  officers  at  all 
hazards,  even  though  it  might  by  accident  commit 
some  seeming  injustice.  Fellow,  canst  thou  read?" 

*'  Indifferently,  worshipful  bailiff,"  returned  Maso 
•'  There  are  those  who  get  through  a  book  with 
less  trouble  than  myself." 

"  I  warrant  you,  now,  he  means  a  good  book 
but,  as  for  a  bad  one,  I'll  engage  the  varlet  goes 
through  it  like  a  wild  boar!  This  comes  of  edu 
cation  among  the  ignorant!  There  vs  no  more 
certain  method  to  corrupt  a  community,  and  to 
rivet  it  in  beastly  practices,  than  to  educate  the  ig 
norant.  The  enlightened  can  bear  knowledge,  for 
rich  food  does  not  harm  the  stomach  that  is  used 
to  it,  but  it  is  hellebore  to  the  ill-fed.  Education 
is  an  arm,  for  knowledge  is  power,  and  the  igno 
rant  man  is  but  an  infant,  and  to  give  him  know- 
Z 


290  THE   HEADSMAN. 

ledge  is  lite  putting  a  loaded  blunderbuss  into  the 
hands  of  a  child.  What  can  an  ignorant  man  do 
with  knowledge?  He  is  as  likely  to  use  it  wrong 
end  uppermost  as  in  any  other  manner.  Learning 
is  a  ticklish  thing;  it  was  said  by  Festus  to  have 
maddened  even  the  wise  and  experienced  Paul 
and  what  may  we  not  expect  it  to  do  with  your 
downright  ignoramus?  What  is  thy  name,  prisoner?" 

"  Tommaso  Santi;  sometimes  known  among  my 
friends  as  San  Tommaso;  called  by  my  enemies, 
II  Maledetto,  and  by  my  familiars,  Maso." 

"  Thou  hast  a  formidable  number  of  aliases,  the 
certain  sign  of  a  rogue.  Thou  hast  confessed  that 
thou  canst  read ." 

"  Nay,  Signer  Bailiff,  I  would  not  be  taken  to 
have  said " 

"  By  the  faith  of  Calvin,  thou  didst  confess  it, 
before  all  this  goodly  company !  Wilt  thou  deny 
thine  own  words,  knave,  in  the  very  face  of  jus 
tice?  Thou  canst  read — thou  hast  it  in  thy  coun 
tenance,  and  I  would  go  nigh  to  swear,  too,  that, 
thou  hast  some  inkling  of  the  quill,  were  the  truth 
honestly  said.  Signor  Grimaldi,  I  know  not  how 
you  find  this  affair  on  the  other  side  of  the  Alps, 
but  with  us,  our  greatest  troubles  come  from  these 
well-taught  knaves,  who,  picking  up  knowledge 
fraudulently,  use  it  with  felonious  intent,  without 
thought  of  the  wants  and  rights  of  the  public." 

"  We  have  our  difficulties,  as  is  the  fact  wherever 
man  is  found  with  his  selfishness  and  passions, 
Signor  Bailiff;  but  are  we  not  doing  an  ungallant 
act  towaTds  yonder  fair  bride,  by  giving  the  pre 
cedency  to  men  of  this  cast?  Would  it  not  be 
better  to  dismiss  the  modest  Christine,  happy  in 
Hymen's  chains,  before  we  enter  more  deeply  into 
the  question  of  the  manacles  of  these  prisoners?" 

To  the  am  azement  of  all  who  knew  the  bailiff's 
natural  obstinacy,  which  was  wont  to  increase 


THE   HEADSMAN.  291 

instead  of  becoming  more  manageable  in  his  cups; 
Petercten  assented  to  this  proposition  with  a  com 
plaisance  and  apparent  good-will,  that  he  rarely 
manifested  towards  any  opinion  of  which  he  did 
not  think  himself  legitimately  the  father ;  though, 
like  many  others  who  bear  that  honorable  title,  he 
was  sometimes  made  to  yield  the  privileges  of  pa 
ternity  to  other  men's  children.  He  had  shown 
an  unusual  deference  to  the  Italian,  however, 
throughout  the  whole  of  their  short  intercourse, 
and  on  no  occasion  was  it  less  equivocal,  than  in 
the  promptness  with  which  he  received  the  present 
hint.  The  prisoners  and  officers  were  commanded 
to  stand  aside,  but  so  near  as  to  remain  beneath 
his  eye,  while  some  of  the  officials  of  the  abbaye 
were  ordered  to  give  notice  to  the  train,  which 
awaited  these  arrangements  in  silent  wonder,  that 
it  might  now  approach. 


CHAPTER  XYIH. 

Go,  wiser  thou !  and  in  thy  scale  of  sense 
Weigh  thy  opinion  against  Providence ; 
Call  imperfection  what  thou  fanciest  such; 
Say,  here  he  gives  too  little,  there  too  much; 
Destroy  all  creatures  for  thy  sport  or  gust, 
And  say,  if  man's  unhappy,  God's  unjust. 

POPE. 

IT  is  unnecessary  to  repeat  the  list  of  characters 
that  acted  the  different  parts  in  the  train  of  the 
village  nuptials.  All  were  there  at  the  close  of  the 
ceremonies,  as  they  had  appeared  earlier  in  the 
day,  and  as  the  last  of  the  legal  forms  of  the  mar 
riage  was  actually  to  take  place  in  presence  of 
the  bailiff,  preparatory  to  the  more  solemn  rites 


292  THE    HEADSMAN. 

ol  the  church,  the  throng  yielded  to  its  curiosity 
breaking  through  the  line  of  those  who  were  sta 
tioned  to  restrain  its  inroads,  and  pressing  about 
the  foot  of  the  estrade  in  the  stronger  interest 
which  reality  is  known  to  possess  over  fiction. 
During  the  day,  a  thousand  new  inquiries  had  been 
made  concerning  the  bride,  whose  beauty  and 
mien  were  altogether  so  superior  to  what  might 
have  been  expected  in  one  who  could  consent  to 
act  the  part  she  did  on  so  public  an  occasion,  and 
whose  modest  bearing  was  in  such  singular  con 
tradiction  to  her  present  situation.  None  knew, 
however,  or,  if  it  were  known,  no  one  chose  to  re 
veal,  her  history ;  and,  as  curiosity  had  been  so 
keenly  whetted  by  mystery,  the  rush  of  the  mutti- 
tude  was  merely  a  proof  of  the  power  which 
expectation,  aided  by  the  thousand  surmises  of 
rumor,  can  gain  over  the  minds  of  the  idle. 

Whatever  might  have  been  the  character  of  the 
conjectures  made  at  the  expense  of  poor  Christine 
— and  they  were  wanting  in  neither  variety  nor 
malice — most  were  compelled  to  agree  in  com 
mending  the  diffidence  of  her  air,  and  the  gentle 
sweetness  of  her  mild  and  peculiar  beauty.  Some, 
indeed,  affected  to  see  artifice  in  the  former,  which 
was  pronounced  to  be  far  too  excellent,  or  too 
much  overdone,  for  nature.  The  usual  amount  of 
common-place  remarks  were  made,  too,  on  the 
lucky  diversity  that  was  to  be  found  in  tastes,  and 
on  the  happy  necessity  there  existed  of  all  being 
able  to  find  the  means  to  please  themselves.  But 
these  were  no  more  than  the  moral  blotches  that 
usually  disfigure  human  commendation.  The  senti 
ment  and  the  sympathies  of  the  mass  were  power 
fully  and  irresistibly  enlisted  in  favor  of  the  unknown 
maiden  —  feelings  that  were  very  unequivocally 
manifested  as  she  drew  nearer  the  estrade,  walking 
timidly  through  a  dense  lane  of  bodies,  all  of  which 


THE    HEADSMAN.  293 

were  pressing  eagerly  forward  to  get  a  better  view 
of  her  person. 

The  bailiff,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  would 
have  taken  in  dudgeon  this  violation  of  the  rules 
prescribed  for  the  government  of  the  multitude; 
for  he  was  perfectly  sincere  in  his  opinions,  absurd 
as  so  many  of  them  were,  and,  like  many  other 
honest  men"  who  defeat  the  effects  they  would  pro 
duce  by  forced  constructions  of  their  principles, 
he  was  a  little  apt  to  run  into  excesses  of  discipline. 
But  in  the  present  instance,  he  was  rather  pleased 
than  otherwise  to  see  the  throng  within  the  reach 
of  his  voice.  The  occasion  was,  at  best,  but  semi 
official,  and  he  was  so  far  under  the  influence  of 
the  warm  liquors  of  the  cotes  as  to  burn  with  the 
desire  of  putting  forth  still  more  liberally  his  flowers 
of  eloquence  and  his  stores  of  wisdom.  He  re 
ceived  the  inroad,  therefore,  with  an  air  of  perfect 
good-humor,  a  manifestation  of  assent  that  en 
couraged  still  greater  innovations  on  the  limits, 
until  the  space  occupied  by  the  principal  actors  in 
this  closing  scene  was  reduced  to  the  smallest  possi 
ble  size  that  was  at  all  compatible  with  their  move 
ments  and  comforts.  In  this  situation  of  things 
the  ceremonies  proceeded. 

The  gentle  flow  of  hope  and  happiness  which 
was  slowly  increasing  in  the  mild  bosom  of  the 
bride,  from  the  first  moment  of  her  appearance  in 
this  unusual  scene  to  that  in  which  it  was  checked 
by  the  cries  of  Pippo,  had  been  gradually  lessening 
under  a  sense  of  distrust,  and  she  now  entered  the 
square  with  a  secret  and  mysterious  dread  at  the 
heart,  which  her  inexperience  and  great  ignorance 
of  life  served  fearfully  to  increase.  Her  imagination 
magnified  the  causes  of  alarm  into  some  prepared 
and  designed  insult.  Christine,  fully  aware  of  the 
obloquy  that  pressed  upon  her  race,  had  only  con 
sented  to  adopt  this  unusual  mode  of  changing  her 
Z2 


294  THE    HEADSMAN. 

condition,  under  a  sensitive  apprehension  that  any 
other  would  have  necessarily  led  to  the  exposure 
of  her  origin.  This  fear,  though  exaggerated,  and 
indeed  causeless,  was  the  result  of  too  much  brood 
ing  of  late  over  her  own  situation,  and  of  that  mor 
bid  sensibility  in  which  the  most  pure  and  innocent 
are,  unhappily,  the  most  likely  to  indulge.  The 
concealment,  as  has  already  been  explained,  was 
that  of  her  intended  husband,  who,  with  the  subter 
fuge  of  an  interested  spirit,  had  hoped  to  mislead 
the  little  circle  of  his  own  acquaintances  and  gratify 
his  cupidity  at  the  cheapest  possible  rate  to  himself. 
But  there  is  a  point  of  self-abasement  beyond  which 
the  perfect  consciousness  of  right  rarely  permits 
even  the  most  timid  to  proceed.  As  the  bride 
moved  up  the  lane  of  human  bodies,  her  eye  grew 
less  disturbed  and  her  step  firmer, — for  the  pride 
of  rectitude  overcame  the  ordinary  girlish  sensi 
bilities  of  her  sex,  and  made  her  the  steadiest  at  the 
very  instant  that  the  greater  portion  of  females 
would  have  been  the  most  likely  to  betray  their 
weakness.  She  had  just  attained  this  forced  but 
respectable  tranquillity,  as  the  bailiff,  signing  to  the 
crowd  to  hush  its  murmurs  and  to  remain  motion 
less,  arose,  with  a  manner  that  he  intended  to  be 
dignified,  and  which  passed  with  the  multitude  for 
a  very  successful  experiment  in  its  way,  to  open 
the  business  in  hand  by  a  short  address.  The 
reader  is  not  to  be  surprised  at  the  volubility  of 
honest  Peterchen,  for  it  was  getting  to  be  late  in 
the  day,  and  his  frequent  libations  throughout  the 
ceremonies  would  have  wrought  him  up  to  even  a 
much  higher  flight  of  eloquence,  had  the  occasion 
and  the  company  at  all  suited  such  a  display  of 
his  powers. 

"  We  have  had  a  joyous  day,  my  friends,"  he 
said ;  "  one  whose  excellent  ceremonies  ought  to 
recall  to  every  one  of  us  our  dependence  on  Pro 


THE    HEADSMAN.  295 

vidence,  our  frail  and  sinful  dispositions,  and  par. 
ticularly  our  duties  to  the  councils.  By  the  types 
of  plenty  and  abundance,  we  see  the  bounty  of 
nature,  which  is  a  gift  from  Heaven ;  by  the  different 
little  failures  that  have  been,  perhaps,  unavoidably 
made  in  some  of  the  nicer  parts  of  the  exhibition — 
and  I  would  here  particularly  mention  the  besotted 
drunkenness  of  Antoine  Giraud,  the  man  who  has 
impudently  undertaken  to  play  the  part  of  Silenus, 
as  a  fit  subject  of  your  attention,  for  it  is  full  of 
profit  to  all  hard-drinking  knaves — we  may  see  our 
own  awful  imperfections ;  while,  in  the  order  of 
the  whole,  and  the  perfect  obedience  of  the  subor 
dinates,  do  we  find  a  parallel  to  the  beauty  of  a 
vigilant  and  exact  police  and  a  well-regulated  com 
munity.  Thus  you  see,  that  though  the  ceremony 
hath  a  Heathen  exterior,  it  hath  a  Christian  moral  ; 
God  grant  that  we  all  forget  the  former,  and  re 
member  the  latter,  as  best  becomes  our  several 
characters  and  our  common  country.  And  now, 
having  done  with  the  divinities  and  their  legends — 
with  the  exception  of  that  varlet  Silenus,  whose 
misconduct,  I  promise  you,  is  not  to  be  so  easily 
overlooked — we  will  give  some  attention  to  mortal 
affairs.  Marriage  is  honorable  before  God  and 
man,  and  although  I  have  never  had  leisure  to  enter 
into  this  holy  state  myself,  owing  to  a  variety  of 
reasons,  but  chiefly  from  my  being  wedded,  as  it 
were,  to  the  State,  to  which  we  all  owe  quite  as 
much,  or  even  greater  duty,  than  the  most  faithful 
wife  owes  to  her  husband,  I  would  not  have  you 
suppose  that  I  have  not  a  high  veneration  for 
matrimony.  So  far  from  this,  I  have  looked  on  no 
part  of  this  day's  ceremonies  with  more  satisfaction 
than  these  of  the  nuptials,  which  we  are  now  called 
upon  to  complete  in  a  manner  suitable  to  the  im 
portance  of  the  occasion-  Let  the  bridegroom  and 


296  THE    HEADSMAN. 

the  bride  stand  forth,  that  all  may  the  better  see 
the  happy  pair." 

At  the  bidding  of  the  bailiff,  Jacques  Colis  led 
Christine  upon  the  little  stage  prepared  for  their 
reception,  where  both  were  more  completely  in 
view  of  the  spectators  than  they  had  yet  been. 
The  movement,  and  the  agitation  consequent  on 
so  public  an  exposure,  deepened  the  bloom  on  the 
soft  cheeks  of  the  bride,  and  another  and  a  still 
less  equivocal  murmur  of  applause  arose  in  the 
multitude.  The  spectacle  of  youth,  innocence, 
and  feminine  loveliness,  strongly  stirred  the  sym 
pathies  of  even  the  most  churlish  and  rude ;  and 
most  present  began  to  feel  for  her  fears,  and  to 
participate  in  her  hopes. 

"  This  is  excellent !"  continued  the  well-pleased 
Peterchen,  who  was  never  half  so  happy  as  when 
he  was  officially  providing  for  the  happiness  of 
others ;  "  it  promises  a  happy  menage.  A  loyal, 
frugal,  industrious,  and  active  groom,  with  a  fair 
and  willing  bride,  can  drive  discontent  up  any 
man's  chimney.  That  which  is  to  be  done  next, 
being  legal  and  binding,  must  be  done  with  proper 
gravity  and  respect.  Let  the  notary  advance — 
not  him  who  hath  so  aptly  played  this  character, 
but  the  commendable  and  upright  officer  who  is 
rightly  charged  with  these  respectable  functions — 
and  we  will  listen  to  the  contract.  I  recommend 
a  decent  silence,  my  friends,  for  the  true  laws  and 
real  matrimony  are  at  the  bottom — a  grave  affair 
at  the  best,  and  one  never  to  be  treated  with  levi 
ty  ;  since  a  few  words  pronounced  now  in  haste 
may  be  repented  of  for  a  whole  life  hereafter." 

Every  thing  was  conducted  according  to  the 
wishes  of  the  bailiff,  and  with  great  decency  of 
form.  A  true  and  authorized  notary  read  aloud 
the  marriage-contract,  the  instrument  which  con 
tained  the  civic  relations  and  rights  of  the  parties, 


THE    HEADSMAN.  297 

and  which  only  waited  for  the  signatures  to  be 
complete.  This  document  required,  of  course, 
that  the  real  names  of  the  contracting  parties,  their 
ages,  births,  parentage,  and  all  those  facts  which 
are  necessary  to  establish  their  identity,  and  to 
secure  the  rights  of  succession,  should  be  clearly 
set  forth  in  a  way  to  render  the  instrument  valid 
at  the  most  remote  period,  should  there  ever  ar 
rive  a  necessity  to  recur  to  it  in  the  way  of  testi 
mony.  The  most  eager  attention  pervaded  the 
crowd  as  they  listened  to  these  little  particulars, 
and  Adelheid  trembled  in  this  delicate  part  of  the 
proceedings,  as  the  suppressed  but  still  audible 
breathing  of  Sigismund  reached  her  ear,  lest  some 
thing  might  occur  to  give  a  rude  shock  to  his  feel 
ings.  But  it  would  seem  the  notary  had  his  cue. 
The  details  touching  Christine  were  so  artfully  ar 
ranged,  that  while  they  were  perfectly  binding  in 
law,  they  were  so  dexterously  concealed  from  the 
observation  of  the  unsuspecting,  that  no  attention 
was  drawn  to  the  point  most  apprehended  by  their 
exposure.  Sigismund  breathed  freer  when  the  no 
tary  drew  near  the  end  of  his  task,  and  Adelheid 
heard  the  heavy  breath  he  drew  at  the  close,  with 
the  joy  one  feels  at  the  certainty  of  having  passed 
an  imminent  danger.  Christine  herself  seemed 
relieved,  though  her  inexperience  in  a  great  de 
gree  prevented  her  from  foreseeing  all  that  the 
greater  practice  of  Sigismund  had  led  him  to  an 
ticipate. 

"  This  is  quite  in  rule,  and  naught  now  remains 
but  to  receive  the  signatures  of  the  respective  par 
ties  and  their  friends,"  resumed  the  bailiff.  "  A 
happy  menage  is  like  a  well-ordered  state,  a  fore 
taste  of  the  joys  and  peace  of  Heaven ;  while  a 
discontented  household  and  a  turbulent  community 
may  be  likened  at  once  to  the  penalties  and  the 
pains  of  hell !  Let  the  friends  of  the  parties  step 


298  THE    HEADSMAN. 

rorth,  in  readiness  to  sign  when  the  principals  them 
selves  shall  have  discharged  this  duty." 

A  few  of  the  relatives  and  associates  of  Jacques 
Colis  moved  out  of  the  crowd  and  placed  them 
selves  at  the  side  of  the  bridegroom,  who  imme 
diately  wrote  his  own  name,  like  a  man  impatient 
to  be  happy.  A  pause  succeeded,  for  all  were 
curious  to  see  who  claimed  affinity  to  the  trem 
bling  girl  on  this  the  most  solemn  and  important 
event  of  her  life.  An  interval  of  several  minutes 
elapsed,  and  no  one  appeared.  The  respiration 
of  Sigismund  became  more  difficult;  he  seemed 
about  to  choke,  and  then  yielding  to  a  generous 
impulse,  he  arose. 

"  For  the  love  of  God! — for  thine  own  sake! — 
for  mine !  be  not  too  hasty !"  whispered  the  ter 
rified  Adelheid;  for  she  saw  the  hot  glow  that 
almost  blazed  on  his  brow. 

"  I  cannot  desert  poor  Christine  to  the  scorn  of 
the  world,  in  a  moment  like  this !  If  I  die  of  shame, 
I  must  go  forward  and  own  myself." 

The  hand  of  Mademoiselle  de  Willading  was 
laid  upon  his  arm,  and  he  yielded  to  this  silent  but 
impressive  entreaty,  for  just  then  he  saw  that  his 
sister  was  about  to  be  relieved  from  her  distressing 
solitude.  The  throng  yielded,  and  a  decent  pair, 
attired  in  the  guise  of  small  but  comfortable  pro 
prietors,  moved  doubtingly  towards  the  bride.  The 
eyes  of  Christine  filled  with  tears,  for  terror  and 
the  apprehension  of  disgrace  yielded  suddenly  to 
joy.  Those  who  advanced  to  support  her  in  that 
moment  of  intense  trial  were  her  father  and  mo 
ther.  The  respectable-looking  pair  moved  slowly 
to  the  side  of  their  daughter,  and,  having  placed 
themselves  one  on  each  side  of  her,  they  first  ven 
tured  to  cast  furtive  and  subdued  glances  at  the 
multitude. 


THE    HEADSMAN.  299 

"  It  is  doubtless  painful  to  the  parents  to  part 
with  so  fair  and  so  dutiful  a  child,"  resumed  the 
obtuse  Peterchen,  who  rarely  saw  in  any  emotion 
more  than  its  most  common-place  and  vulgar  char 
acter;  "Nature  pulls  them  one  way,  while  the 
terms  of  the  contract  and  the  progress  of  our 
ceremonies  pull  another.  I  have  often  weaknesses 
of  this  sort  myself,  the  most  sensitive  hearts  being 
the  most  liable  to  these  attacks.  But  my  chil 
dren  are  the  public,  and  do  not  admit  of  too  much 
of  what  I  may  call  the  detail  of  sentiment,  else, 
by  the  soul  of  Calvin !  were  I  but  an  indifferent 
bailiff  for  Berne ! — Thou  art  the  father  of  this  fair 
and  blushing  maiden,  and  thou  her  mother  ?" 

"  We  are  these,"  returned  Balthazar  mildly. 

"  Thou  art  not  of  Vevey,  or  its  neighborhood, 
by  thy  speech?" 

"  Of  the  great  canton,  mein  Herr ;"  for  the  an 
swer  was  in  German,  these  contracted  districts 
possessing  nearly  as  many  dialects  as  there  are 
territorial  divisions.  "  We  are  strangers  inVaud." 

"  Thou  hast  not  done  the  worse  for  marrying 
thy  daughter  with  a  Vevaisan,  and,  more  espe 
cially,  under  the  favor  of  our  renowned  and  liberal 
Abbaye.  I  warrant  me  thy  child  will  be  none 
the  poorer  for  this  compliance  with  the  wishes  of 
those  who  lead  our  ceremonies !" 

"  She  will  not  go  portionless  to  the  house  of  her 
husband,"  returned  the  father,  coloring  with  secret 
pride ;  for  to  one  to  whom  the  chances  of  life  left 
so  few  sources  of  satisfaction,  those  that  were  pos 
sessed  became  doubly  dear. 

"  This  is  well !  A  right  worthy  couple !  And  1 
doubt  not,  a  meet  companion  will  your  offspring 
prove.  Monsieur  le  Notaire,  call  off  the  names  of 
these  good  people  aloud,  that  they  may  sign,  at 
least,  with  a  decent  parade." 

"  It  is  settled  otherwise,"  hastily  answered  tho 


300  THE    HEADSMAN. 

functionary  of  the  quill,  who  was  necessarily  in  the 
secret  of  Christine's  origin,  and  who  had  been  well 
bribed  to  observe  discretion.  "  It  would  altogether 
derange  the  order  and  regularity  of  the  proceed 
ings." 

"  As  thou  wilt ;  for  I  would  have  nothing  illegal, 
and  least  of  all,  nothing  disorderly.  But  o'  Hea 
ven's  sake !  let  us  get  through  with  our  penman 
ship,  for  I  hear  there  are  symptoms  that  the  meats 
are  likely  to  be  overbaked.  Canst  thou  write, 
good  man?" 

"  Indifferently,  mein  Herr;  but  in  a  way  to  make 
what  I  will  binding  before  the  law." 

"  Give  the  quill  to  the  bride,  Mr.  Notary,  and 
let  us  protract  the  happy  event  no  longer." 

The  bailiff  here  bent  his  head  aside  and  whis 
pered  to  an  attendant  to  hurry  towards  the  kitch 
ens  and  to  look  to  the  affairs  of  the  banquet. 
Christine  took  the  pen  with  a  trembling  hand  and 
pallid  cheek,  and  was  about  to  apply  it  to  the 
paper,  when  a  sudden  cry  from  the  throng  diverted 
the  attention  of  all  present  to  a  new  matter  of  inte 
rest. 

"  Who  dares  thus  indecently  interrupt  this  grave 
scene,  and  that,  too,  in  so  great  a  presence''" 
sternly  demanded  the  bailiff. 

Pippo,  who  with  the  other  prisoners  had  una 
voidably  been  inclosed  m  the  space  near  the  es trade 
by  the  pressure  of  the  multitude,  staggered  more 
into  view,  and  removing  his  cap  with  a  well-man 
aged  respect,  presented  himself  humbly  to  tho 
sight  of  Peterchen. 

"It  is  I,  illustrious  and  excellent  governor," 
returned  the  wily  Neapolitan,  who  retained  just 
enough  of  the  liquor  he  had  swallowed  to  render 
him  audacious,  without  weakening  his  means  of 
observation.  "  It  is  I,  Pippo ;  an  artist  of  hum 
ble  pretensions,  but,  I  hope,  a  very  honest  man 


THE    HEADSMAN.  301 

and,  as  I  know,  a  great  reverencer  of  the  laws  and 
a  true  friend  to  order." 

"  Let  the  good  man  speak  up  boldly.  A  man 
of  these  principles  has  a  right  to  be  heard.  We 
live  in  a  time  of  damnable  innovations,  and  of  most 
atrocious  attempts  to  overturn  the  altar,  the  state, 
and  the  public  trusts,  and  the  sentiments  of  such  a 
man  are  like  dew  to  the  parched  grass." 

The  reader  is  not  to  imagine,  from  the  language 
of  the  bailiff,  that  Vaud  stood  on  the  eve  of  any 
great  political  commotion,  but,  as  the  Government 
was  in  itself  an  usurpation,  and  founded  on  the 
false  principle  of  exclusion,  it  was  quite  as  usual 
then,  as  now,  to  cry  out  against  the  moral  throes 
of  violated  right,  since  the  same  eagerness  to  pos 
sess,  the  same  selfishness  in  grasping,  however 
unjustly  obtained,  and  the  same  audacity  of  asser 
tion  with  a  view  to  mystify,  pervaded  the  Chris 
tian  world  a  century  since  as  exist  to-day.  The 
cunning  Pippo  saw  that  the  bait  had  taken,  and, 
assuming  a  still  more  respectful  and  loyal  mien,  he 
continued : — 

"Although  a  stranger,  illustrious  governor,  I 
have  had  great  delight  in  these  joyous  and  excel 
lent  ceremonies.  Their  fame  will  be  spread  far  and 
near,  and  men  will  talk  of  little  less  for  the  coming 
year  but  of  Vevey  and  its  festival.  But  a  great 
scandal  hangs  over  your  honorable  heads  which  it 
is  in  my  power  to  turn  aside,  and  San  Gennaro 
forbid !  that  I,  a  stranger,  that  hath  been  well 
entertained  in  your  town,  should  hesitate  about 
raising  his  voice  on  account  of  any  scruples  of 
modesty.  No  doubt,  great  governor,  your  eccel- 
lenza  believes  that  this  worthy  Vevaisan  is  about 
to  wive  a  creditable  maiden,  whose  name  could  be 
honorably  mentioned  with  those  of  the  ceremonies 
and  your  town,  before  the  proudest  company  in 
Europe?" 

2A 


302  THE    HEADSMAN. 

"  What  of  this,  fellow  ?  The  girl  is  fair,  and 
modest  enough,  at  least  to  the  eye,  and  if  thou 
knowest  aught  else,  whisper  thy  secret  to  her  hus 
band  or  her  friends,  but  do  not  come  in  this  rude 
manner  to  disturb  our  harmony  with  thy  raven 
throat,  just  as  we  are  ready  to  sing  an  epithala- 
mium  in  honor  of  the  happy  pair.  Your  excessive 
particularity  is  the  curse  of  wedlock,  my  friends, 
and  I  have  a  great  mind  to  send  this  knave,  in 
spite  of  all  this  profession  of  order,  which  is  like 
enough  to  produce  disorder,  for  a  month  or  two 
into  our  Vevey  dungeon  for  his  pains." 

Pippo  was  staggered,  for,  just  drunk  enough  to 
be  audacious,  he  had  not  all  his  faculties  at  his 
perfect  command,  and  his  usual  acumen  was  a 
little  at  fault.  Still,  accustomed  to  brave  public 
opinion,  and  to  carry  himself  through  the  failures 
of  his  exhibitions  by  heavier  drafts  on  the  patience 
and  credulity  of  his  audience,  he  determined  to 
persevere  as  the  most  likely  way  of  extricating 
himself  from  the  menaced  consequences  of  his 
indiscretion. 

"A  thousand  pardons,  great  bailiff;"  he  an 
swered.  "  Naught,  but  a  burning  desire  to  do  jus 
tice  to  your  high  honor,  and  to  the  reputation  of 
the  abbaye's  festival,  could  have  led  me  so  far, 
but—" 

"  Speak  thy  mind  at  once,  rogue,  and  have  done 
with  circumlocution." 

"  I  have  little  to  say,  Signore,  except  that  the 
father  of  this  illustrious  bride,  who  is  about  to 
honor  Vevey  by  making  her  nuptials  an  occasion 
for  all  in  the  city  to  witness  and  to  favor,  is  the 
common  headsman  of  Berne — a  wretch  who  lately 
came  near  to  prove  the  destruction  of  more  Chris 
tians  than  the  law  has  condemned,  and  who  is  suf 
ficiently  out  of  favor  with  Heaven  to  bring  the  fato 
of  Gomorrah  upon  your  town !" 


THE    HEADSMAN.  303 

Pippo  tottered  to  his  station  among  the  prisoners, 
with  the  manner  of  one  who  had  delivered  himself 
of  an  important  trust,  and  was  instantly  lost  to 
view.  So  rapid  and  unlocked  for  had  been  the 
interruption,  and  so  vehement  the  utterance  of  the 
Italian  while  delivering  his  facts,  that,  though 
several  present  saw  their  tendency  when  it  was 
too  late,  none  had  sufficient  presence  of  mind  to 
prevent  the  exposure.  A  murmur  arose  in  the 
crowd,  which  stirred  like  a  vast  sheet,  of  fluid  on 
which  a  passing  gust  had  alighted,  and  then  be 
came  fixed  and  calm.  Of  all  present,  the  bailiff 
manifested  the  least  surprise  or  concern,  for  to 
him  the  last  minister  of  the  law  was  an  object,  if 
not  precisely  of  respect,  of  politic  good-will  rather 
than -of  dishonor. 

"  What  of  this !"  he  answered,  in  the  way  of 
one  who  had  expected  a  far  more  important  reve 
lation.  "  What  of  this,  should  it  be  true  !  Harkee, 
friend, — art  thou,  in  sooth,  the  noted  Balthazar,  he 
to  whose  family  the  canton  is  indebted  for  so  much 
fair  justice  ?" 

Balthazar  saw  that  his  secret  was  betrayed,  and 
that  it  were  wiser  simply  to  admit  the  facts,  than 
to  have  recourse  to  subterfuge  or  denial.  Nature, 
moreover,  had  made  him  a  man  with  strong  and 
pure  propensities  for  the  truth,  and  he  was  never 
without  the  innate  consciousness  of  the  injustice  of 
which  he  had  been  made  the  victim  by  the  unfeel 
ing  ordinance  of  society.  Raising  his  head,  he 
looked  around  him  with  firmness,  for  he  too,  un 
happily,  had  been  accustomed  to  act  in  the  face  of 
multitudes,  and  he  answered  the  question  of  the 
bailiff,  in  his  usual  mild  tone  of  voice,  but  with 
composure. 

"  Herr  Bailiff,  I  am  by  inheritance  the  last  aven 
ger  of  the  law." 

"  By  my  office  !  I  like  the  title ;  it  is  a  good  one ! 


304  THE    HEADSMAN. 

The  last  avenger  of  the  law !  If  rogues  will  offend, 
or  dissatisfied  spirits  plot,  there  must  be  a  hand  to 
put  the  finishing  blow  to  their  evil  works,  and  why 
not  thou  as  well  as  another  !  Harkee,  officers,  shut 
me  up  yonder  Italian  knave  for  a  week  on  bread 
and  water,  for  daring  to  trifle  with  the  time  and 
good-nature  of  the  public  in  this  impudent  manner. 
And  this  worthy  dame  is  thy  wife,  honest  Bal 
thazar  ;  and  that  fair  maiden  thy  child — Hast  thou 
more  of  so  goodly  a  race  ?" 

"  God  has  blessed  me  in  my  offspring,  mem 
Herr." 

"  Ay ;  God  hath  blessed  thee  ! — and  a  great  bless 
ing  it  should  be,  as  I  know  by  bitter  experience- 
that  is,  being  a  bachelor,  I  understand  the  misery 
of  being  childless — I  would  say  no  more.-  Sign 
the  contract,  honest  Balthazar,  with  thy  wife  and 
daughter,  that  we  may  have  an  end  of  this." 

The  family  of  the  proscribed  were  about  to  obey 
this  mandate,  when  Jacques  Colis  abruptly  threw 
down  the  emblems  of  a  bridegroom,  tore  the  con 
tract  in  fragments,  and  publicly  announced  that  he 
had  changed  his  intention,  and  that  he  would  not 
wive  a  headsman's  child.  The  public  mind  is 
usually  caught  by  any  loud  declaration  in  favor  of 
the  ruling  prejudice,  and,  after  the  first  brief  pause 
of  surprise  was  past,  the  determination  of  the 
groom  was  received  with  a  shout  of  applause  that 
was  immediately  followed  by  general,  coarse,  and 
deriding  laughter.  The  throng  pressed  upon  the 
keepers  of  the  limits  in  a  still  denser  mass,  oppos 
ing  an  impenetrable  wall  of  human  bodies  to  the 
passage  of  any  in  either  direction,  and  a  dead  still 
ness  succeeded,  as  if  all  present  breathlessly  awaited 
the  result  of  the  singular  scene. 

So  unexpected  and  sudden  was  the  purpose  of 
the  groom,  that  they  who  were  most  affected  by 
it,  did  not,  at  first,  fully  comprehend  the  extent  of 


THE    HEADSMAN.  305 

the  disgrace  that  was  so  publicly  heaped  upon  them 
The  innocent  and  unpractised  Christine  stood  re 
sembling  the  cold  statue  of  a  vestal,  with  the  pen 
raised  ready  to  affix  her  as  yet  untarnished  name 
to  the  contract,  in  an  attitude  of  suspense,  while 
her  wondering  look  followed  the  agitation  of  the 
multitude,  as  the  startled  bird,  before  it  takes  wing, 
regards  a  movement  among  the  leaves  of  the 
bush.  But  there  was  no  escape  from  the  truth. 
Conviction  of  its  humiliating  nature  came  too  soon, 
and,  by  the  time  the  calm  of  intense  curiosity  had 
succeeded  to  the  momentary  excitement  of  the 
spectators,  she  was  standing  an  exquisite  but  pain 
ful  picture  of  wounded  feminine  feeling  and  of 
maiden  shame.  Her  parents,  too,  were  stupified 
by  the  suddenness  of  the  unexpected  shock,  and  it 
was  longer  before  their  faculties  recovered  the 
tone  proper  to  meet  an  insult  so  unprovoked  and 
gross. 

"This  is  unusual;"  drily  remarked  the  bailiff, 
who  was  the  first  to  break  the  long  and  painful  si 
lence. 

"  It  is  brutal !"  warmly  interposed  the  Signor 
Grimaldi.  "  Unless  there  has  been  deception  prac 
tised  on  the  bridegroom,  it  is  utterly  without 
excuse." 

"  Your  experience,  Signore,  has  readily  suggest 
ed  the  true  points  in  a  very  knotty  case,  and  I  shall 
proceed  without  delay  to  look  into  its  merits." 

Sigismund  resumed  his  seat,  his  hand  releasing 
the  sword-hilt  that  it  had  spontaneously  grasped 
when  he  heard  this  declaration  of  the  bailiff's  in 
tentions. 

"  For   the   sake  of  thy   poor  sister,  forbear !" 
whispered  the  terrified  Adelheid.     "  All  will  ye 
be   well — all  must  be  well — it  is  impossible  that 
one  so  sweet  and  innocent  should  long  remain  with 
her  honor  unavenged !" 

2  A2 


306 


THE    HEADSMAN. 


The  young  man  smiled  frightfully,  at  least  so  it 
seemed  to  his  companion:  but  he  maintained  the 
appearance  of  composure.  In  the  mean  time 
Peterchen,  having  secretly  dispatched  another 
messenger  to  the  cooks,  turned  his  serious  atten 
tion  to  the  difficulty  that  had  just  arisen. 

'•  I  have  long  been  intrusted  by  the  council  with 
honorable  duties,"  he  said,  "  but  never,  before  to 
day,  have  I  been  required  to  decide  upon  a  do 
mestic  misunderstanding,  before  the  parties  were 
actually  wedded.  This  is  a  grave  interruption  of 
the  ceremonies  of  the  abbaye,  as  well  as  a  slight 
upon  the  notary  and  the  spectators,  and  needs  be 
well  looked  to.  Dost  thou  really  persist  in  putting 
this  unusual  termination  to  a  marriage-ceremony, 
Herr  Bridegroom  ?" 

Jacques  Colis  had  lost  a  little  of  the  violent  im 
pulse  which  led  him  to  the  precipitate  and  inconsid 
erate  act  of  destroying  an  instrument  he  had  legally 
executed ;  but  his  outbreaking  of  feeling  was  fol 
lowed  by  a  sullen  and  fixed  resolution  to  persevere 
in  the  refusal  at  every  hazard  to  himself. 

"  I  will  not  wive  the  daughter  of  a  man  hunted 
of  society,  and  avoided  by  all ;"  he  doggedly  an 
swered. 

"  No  doubt  the  respectability  of  the  parent  is 
the  next  thing  to  a  good  dowry,'  in  the  choice  of  a 
wife,"  returned  the  bailiff,  "  but  one  of  thy  years 
has  not  come  hither,  without  having  first  inquired 
into  the  parentage  of  her  thou  wert  about  to  wed  ?" 

"It  was  sworn  to  me  that  the  secret  should  be 
kept.  The  girl  is  well  endowed,  and  a  promise 
was  solemnly  made  that  her  parentage  should 
never  be  known.  The  family  of  Colis  is  esteemed 
in  Vaud,  and  I  would  not  have  it  said  that  the 
blood  of  the  headsman  of  the  canton  hath  mixed 
in  a  stream  as  fair  as  ours." 

<{  And  yet  thou  wert  not  unwilling,  so  long  as  the 


THE    HEADSMAN.  307 

circumstance  was   unknown?    Thy  objection  is 
less  to  the  fact,  than  to  its  public  exposure." 

«'  Without  the  aid  of  parchments  and  tongues, 
Monsieur  le  Bailli,  we  should  all  be  equal  in  birth. 
Ask  the  noble  Baron  de  Willading,  who  is  seated 
there  at  your  side,  why  he  is  better  than  another. 
He  will  tell  you  that  he  is  come  of  an  ancient  and 
honorable  line ;  but  had  he  been  taken  from  his 
castle  in  infancy,  and  concealed  under  a  feigned 
name,  and  kept  from  men's  knowledge  as  being 
that  he  is,  who  would  think  of  him  for  the  deeds 
of  his  ancestors  ?  As  the  Sire  de  Willading  would, 
in  such  a  case,  have  lost  in  the  world's  esteem,  so 
did  Christine  gain ;  but  as  opinion  would  return  to 
the  baron,  when  the  truth  should  be  published,  so 
does  it  desert  Balthazar's  daughter,  when  she  is 
known  to  be  a  headsman's  child.  I  would  have 
married  the  maiden  as  she  was,  but,  your  pardon, 
Monsieur  le  Bailli,  if  I  say,  I  will  not  wive  her  as 
she  is." 

A  murmur  of  approbation  followed  this  plausi 
ble  and  ready  apology,  for,  when  antipathies  are 
active  and  bitter,  men  are  easily  satisfied  with  a 
doubtful  morality  and  a  weak  argument. 

"  This  honest  youth  hath  some  reason  in  him," 
observed  the  puzzled  bailiff,  shaking  his  head.  "  I 
would  he  had  been  less  expert  in  disputation,  or 
that  the  secret  had  been  better  kept !  It  is  appa 
rent  as  the  sun  in  the  heavens,  friend  Melchior, 
that  hadst  thou  not  been  known  as  thy  father's 
child,  thou  wouldst  not  have  succeeded  to  thy  cas 
tle  and  lands— nay,  by  St.  Luke  !  not  even  to  the 
rights  of  the  biirgerschaft." 

"  In  Genoa  we  are  used  to  hear  both  parties," 
gravely  rejoined  the  Signor  Grimaldi,  "  that  we 
may  first  make  sure  that  we  touch  the  true  merits 
of  the  case.  Were  another  to  claim  the  Signor 
dc  Willading's  honors  and  name,  thou  wouldst 


308  THE    HEADSMAN. 

scarce  grant  his  suit,  without  questioning  our  friend 
here,  touching  his  own  rights  to  the  same." 

"  Better  and  better !  This  is  justice,  while  that 
which  fell  from  the  bridegroom  was  only  argu 
ment.  Harkee,  Balthazar,  and  thou  good  woman, 
his  wife — and  thou  too,  pretty  Christine — what 
have  ye  all  to  answer  to  the  reasonable  plea  of 
Jacques  Colis  ?" 

Balthazar,  who,  by  the  nature  of  his  office,  and 
by  his  general  masculine  duties,  had  been  so  much 
accustomed  to  meet  with  harsh  instances  of  the 
public  hatred,  soon  recovered  his  usual  calm  exte 
rior,  even  though  he  felt  a  father's  pang  and  a  fa 
ther's  just  resentment  at  witnessing  this  open  inju 
ry  to  one  so  gentle  and  deserving  as  his  child. 
But  the  blow  had  been  far  heavier  on  Marguerite, 
the  faithful  and  long-continued  sharer  of  his  for 
tunes.  The  wife  of  Balthazar  was  past  the  prime 
of  her  days,  but  she  still  retained  the  presence,  and 
some  of  the  personal  beauty,  which  had  rendered 
her,  in  youth,  a  woman  of  extraordinary  mien 
and  carriage.  When  the  words  which  announced 
the  slight  to  her  daughter  first  fell  on  her  ears,  she 
paled  to  the  hue  of  the  dead.  For  several  minutes 
she  stood  looking  more  like  one  that  had  taken  a 
final  departure  from  the  interests  and  emotions  of 
life,  than  one  that,  in  truth,  was  a  prey  to  one  of 
the  strongest  passions  the  human  breast  can  ever 
entertain,  that  of  wounded  maternal  affection.  Then 
the  blood  stole  slowly  to  her  temples,  and,  by  the 
time  the  bailiff  put  his  question,  her  entire  face  was 
glowing  under  a  tumult  of  feeling  that  threatened 
to  defeat  its  own  wishes,  by  depriving  her  of  the 
power  of  speech. 

"  Thou  canst  answer  him,  Balthazar,"  she  said 
huskily,  motioning  for  her  husband  to  arouse  his 
faculties ;  "  thou  art  used  to  these  multitudes  and 


THE    HEADSMAN. 


309 


to  their  scorn.  Thou  art  a  man,  and  canst  do  us 
justice." 

"  Herr  Bailiff,"  said  the  headsman,  who  seldom 
lost  the  mild  deportment  that  characterized  his 
manner,  "there  is  much  truth  in  what  Jacques 
hath  urged,  but  all  present  may  have  seen  that  the 
fault  did  not  come  of  us,  but  of  yonder  heartless 
vagabond.  The  wretch  sought  my  life  on  the 
lake,  in  our  late  unfortunate  passage  hither ;  and, 
not  content  with  wishing  to  rob  my  children  of 
their  father,  he  comes  now  to  injure  me  still  more 
cruelly.  I  was  born  to  the  office  I  hold,  as  you 
well  know,  Herr  Hofmeister,  or  it  would  never 
have  been  sought  by  me ;  but  what  the  law  wills, 
men  insist  upon  as  right.  This  girl  can  never  be 
called  upon  to  strike  a  head  from  its  shoulders, 
and,  knowing  from  childhood  up  the  scorn  that 
awaits  all  who  come  of  my  race,  I  sought  the 
means  of  releasing  her,  at  least,  from  some  part 
of  the  curse  that  hath  descended  on  us." 

"  I  know  not  if  this  were  legal !"  interrupted  the 
bailiff,  quickly.  "  What  is  your  opinion,  Her  von 
Willading?  Can  any  in  Berne  escape  their  herita 
ble  duties,  any  more  than  hereditary  privileges  can 
be  assumed  ?  This  is  a  grave  question ;  innovation 
leads  to  innovation,  and  our  venerable  laws  and 
our  sacred  usages  must  be  preserved,  if  we  would 
avert  the  curse  of  change !" 

"Balthazar  hath  well  observed  that  a  female 
cannot  exercise  the  executioner's  office." 

"  True,  but  a  female  may  bring  forth  them  that 
can.  This  is  a  cunning  question  for  the  doctors- 
in-law,  and  it  must  be  examined ;  of  all  damnable 
offences,  Heaven  keep  me  from  that  of  a  wish  for 
change.  If  change  is  ever  to  follow,  why  estab 
lish?  Change  is  the  unpardonable  sin  in  politics. 
Signor  Grimaldi ;  since  that  which  is  often  chang 
ed  becomes  valueless  in  time,  even  if  it  be  coin. 


310  THE    HEADSMAN. 

"  The  mother  hath  something  she  would  utter," 
said  the  Genoese,  whose  quick  but  observant  eye 
had  been  watching  the  workings  of  the  counte 
nances  of  the  repudiated  family,  while  the  bailiff 
was  digressing  in  his  usual  prolix  manner  on  things 
n  general,  and  who  detected  the  throes  of  feeling 
which  heaved  the  bosom  of  the  respectable  Mar 
guerite,  in  a  way  to  announce  a  speedy  birth  to 
her  thoughts. 

Hast  thou  aught  to  urge,  good  woman  ?"  demand 
ed  Peterchen,  who  was  well  enough  disposed  to 
hear  both  sides  in  all  cases  of  controversy,  unless 
they  happened  to  touch  the  supremacy  of  the  great 
canton.  "  To  speak  the  truth,  the  reasons  of  Jac 
ques  Colis  are  plausible  and  witty,  and  are  likely 
to  weigh  heavy  against  thee  ." 

The  color  slowly  disappeared  from  the  brow  of 
the  mother,  and  she  turned  such  a  look  of  fond 
ness  and  protection  on  her  child,  as  spoke  a  com 
plete  condensation  of  all  her  feelings  in  the  engross 
ing  sentiment  of  a  mother's  love. 

"  Have  I  aught  to  urge !"  slowly  repeated  Mar 
guerite,  looking  steadily  about  her  at  the  curious 
and  unfeeling  crowd  which,  bent  on  the  indulgence 
of  its  appetite  for  novelty,  and  excited  by  its  pre 
judices,  still  pressed  upon  the  halberds  of  the  offi 
cers — "  Has  a  mother  aught  to  say  in  defence  of 
her  injured  and  insulted  child  !  Why  hast  thou  not 
also  asked,  Herr  Hofmeister,  if  I  am  human? 
We  come  of  proscribed  races,  I  know,  Balthazar 
and  I,  but  like  thee,  proud  bailiff,  and  the  privi 
leged  at  thy  side,  we  come  too  of  God !  The 
judgment  and  power  of  men  have  crushed  us  from 
the  beginning,  and  we  are  used  to  the  world's 
scorn  and  to  the  world's  injustice !" 

"  Say  not  so,  good  woman,  for  no  more  is  requir 
ed  than  the  law  sanctions.  Thou  art  now  talking 
against  thine  own  interests,  and  I  interrupt  thee 


THE    HEADSMAN.  311 

in  pure  mercy.  'Twould  be  scandalous  in  me  to 
sit  here  and  listen  to  one  that  hath  bespattered  the 
law  with  an  evil  tongue." 

"  I  know  naught  of  the  subtleties  of  thy  laws, 
but  well  do  I  know  their  cruelty  and  wrongs,  as 
respects  me  and  mine  !  All  others  come  into  th 
world  with  hope,  but  we  have  been  crushed  from 
the  beginning.  That  surely  cannot  be  just  which 
destroys  hope.  Even  the  sinner  need  not  despair, 
through  the  mercy  of  the  Son  of  God !  but  we, 
that  have  come  into  the  world  under  thy  laws,  have 
little  before  us  in  life  but  shame  and  the  scorn  of 
men !" 

"  Nay,  thou  quite  mistakest  the  matter,  dame ; 
these  privileges  were  first  bestowed  on  thy  families 
in  reward  for  good  services,  I  make  no  doubt,  and 
it  was  long  accounted  profitable  to  be  of  this 
office." 

"  I  do  not  say  that  in  a  darker  age,  when  oppres 
sion  stalked  over  the  land,  and  the  best  were  bar 
barous  as  the  worst  to-day,  some  of  those  of  whom 
we  are  born  may  not  have  been  fierce  and  cruel 
enough  to  take  upon  themselves  this  office  with 
good  will ;  but  I  deny  that  any  short  of  Him  who 
holds  the  universe  in  his  hand,  and  who  controls 
an  endless  future  to  compensate  for  the  evils  of  the 
present  time,  has  the  power  to  say  to  the  son,  that 
he  shall  be  the  heritor  of  the  father's  wrongs  !" 

"  How !  dost  question  the  doctrine  of  descents  ? 
We  shall  next  hear  thee  dispute  the  rights  of  the 
burger  schaft !" 

"  I  know  nothing,  Herr  Bailiff,  of  the  nice  dis 
tinctions  of  your  rights  in  the  city,  and  wish  to 
utter  naught  for  or  against.  But  an  entire  life  of 
contumely  and  bitterness  is  apt  to  become  a  life  of 
thoughtfulness  and  care ;  and  I  see  sufficient  differ 
ence  between  the  preservation  of  privileges  fairly 
earned,  though  even  these  may  and  do  bring  with 


312  THE    HEADSMAN. 

them  abuses  hard  to  be  borne,  and  the  unmerited 
oppression  of  the  offspring  for  the  ancestors'  faults. 
There  is  little  of  that  justice  which  savors  of 
Heaven  in  this,  and  the  time  will  come  when  a 
fearful  return  will  be  made  for  wrongs  so  sore !" 

"  Concern  for  thy  pretty  daughter,  good  Mar 
guerite,  causes  thee  to  speak  strongly." 

"  Is  not  the  daughter  of  a  headsman  and  a 
headsman's  wife  their  offspring,  as  much  as  the  fair 
maiden  who  sits  near  thee  is  the  child  of  the  noble 
at  her  side  ?  Am  I  to  love  her  less,  that  she  is  de 
spised  by  a  cruel  world  ?  Had  I  not  the  same  suf 
fering  at  the  birth,  the  same  joy  in  the  infant  smile, 
the  same  hope  in  the  childish  promise,  and  the  same 
trembling  for  her  fate  when  I  consented  to  trust 
her  happiness  to  another,  as  she  that  bore  that 
more  fortunate  but  not  fairer  maiden  hath  had  in 
her  ?  Hath  God  created  two  natures — two  yearn 
ings  for  the  mother — two  longings  for  our  chil 
dren's  weal — those  of  the  rich  and  honored,  and 
those  of  the  crushed  and  despised  ?" 

"  Go  to,  good  Marguerite ;  thou  puttest  the  mat 
ter  altogether  in  a  manner  that  is  unusual.  Are 
our  reverenced  usages  nothing — our  solemn  edicts 
— our  city's  rule — and  our  resolution  to  govern, 
and  that  fairly  and  with  effect  ?" 

"  I  fear  that  these  are  stronger  than  the  right, 
and  likely  to  endure  when  the  tears  of  the  oppress 
ed  are  exhausted,  when  they  and  their  fates  shall 
be  forgotten !" 

"  Thy  child  is  fair  and  modest,"  observed  the 
Signor  Grimaldi,  "  and  will  yet  find  a  youth  who 
will  more  than  atone  for  this  injury.  He  that  has 
rejected  her  was  not  worthy  of  her  faith." 

Marguerite  turned  her  look,  which  had  been 
glowing  with  awakened  feeling,  on  her  pale  and 
still  motionless  daughter.  The  expression  of  her 
softened,  and  she  folded  her  child  to  her 


THE    HEADSMAN.  313 

bosom,  as  the  doye  shelters  its  young.  All  her 
aroused  feelings  appeared  to  dissolve  in  the  senti 
ment  of  love. 

"  My  child  is  fair,  Herr  Peter ;"  she  continued, 
without  adverting  to  the  interruption ;  "  but  better 
than  fair,  she  is  good!  Christine  is  gentle  and 
dutiful,  and  not  for  a  world  would  she  bruise  the 
spirit  of  another  as  hers  has  been  this  day  bruised. 
Humbled  as  we  are,  and  despised  of  men,  bailiff, 
we  have  our  thoughts,  and  our  wishes,  and  our 
hopes,  and  memory,  and  all  the  other  feelings  of 
those  that  are  more  fortunate ;  and  when  I  have 
racked  my  brain  to  reason  on  the  justice  of  a  fate 
which  has  condemned  all  of  my  race  to  have  lit- 
Je  other  communion  with  their  kind  but  that  of 
blood,  and  when  bitterness  has  swollen  at  my 
heart,  ay,  near  to  bursting,  and  I  have  been  ready 
to  curse  Providence  and  die,  this  mild,  affectionate 
girl  hath  been  near  to  quench  the  fire  that  con 
sumed  me,  and  to  tighten  the  cords  of  life,  until 
ner  love  and  innocence  have  left  me  willing  to  live 
even  under  a  heavier  load  than  this  I  bear.  Thou 
art  of  an  honored  race,  bailiff,  and  canst  little  un 
derstand  most  of  our  suffering;  but  thou  art  a 
man,  and  shouldst  know  what  it  is  to  be  wounded 
through  another,  and  that  one  who  is  dearer  to  thee 
than  thine  own  flesh." 

"  Thy  words  are  strong,  good  Marguerite," 
again  interrupted  the  bailiff,  who  felt  an  uneasiness, 
of  which  he  would  very  gladly  be  rid.  "  Himmel ! 
Who  can  like  any  thing  better  than  his  own  flesh  ? 
Besides,  thou  shouldst  remember  that  I  am  a  bache 
lor,  and  bachelors  are  apt,  naturally,  to  feel  more 
for  their  own  flesh  than  for  that  of  others.  Stand 
aside,  and  let  the  procession  pass,  that  we  may  go 
to  the  banquet,  which  waits.  If  Jacques  Colis  will 
none  -of  thy  girl,  I  have  not  the  power  to  make 
him.  Double  the  dowry,  good  woman,  and  thou 
2B 


314  THE    HEADSMAN. 

slialt  have  a  choice  of  husbands,  in  spite  of  the  foce 
and  the  sword  that  are  in  thy  escutcheon.  Let  the 
halberdiers  make  way  for  those  honest  people  there 
who,  at  least,  are  functionaries  of  the  law,  and  are 
to  be  protected  as  well  as  ourselves." 

The  crowd  obeyed,  yielding  readily  to  the  ad 
vance  of  the  officers,  and,  in  a  few  minutes,  the 
useless  attendants  of  the  village  nuptials,  and  the 
train  of  Hymen,  slunk  away,  sensible  of  the  ridicule 
that,  in  a  double  degree,  attaches  itself  to  folly, 
when  it  fails  of  effecting  even  its  own  absurdit1"00- 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

The  weeping  blood  in  woman's  breast 
Was  never  known  to  thee ; 
Nor  the  bairn  that  drops  on  wounds  of  woe 
From  woman's  pitying  e'e. 

BURNS. 

A  LARGE  portion  of  the  curious  followed  the  dis 
concerted  mummers  from  the  square,  while  others 
hastened  to  break  their  fasts  at  the  several  places 
selected  for  this  important  feature  in  the  business 
of  the  day.  Most  of  those  who  had  been  on  the 
estrade  now  left  it,  and,  in  a  few  minutes,  the  living 
carpet  of  heads  around  the  little  area  in  front  of 
the  bailiff  was  reduced  to  a  few  hundreds  of  those 
whose  better  feelings  were  stronger  than  their  self 
indulgence.  Perhaps  this  distribution  of  the  multi 
tude  is  about  in  the  proportion  that  is  usually  found 
in  those  cases  in  which  selfishness  draws  in  one 
direction,  while  feeling  or  sympathy  with  the 
wronged  pulls  in  another,  among  all  masses  of 
human  beings  that  are  congregated  as  spectators 


THE    HEADSMAN.  315 

of  some  general  and  indifferent  exhibition  of  inter 
ests  in  which  they  have  no  near  personal  concern. 

The  bailiff  and  his  immediate  friends,  the  pris 
oners,  and  the  family  of  the  headsman,  with  a 
sufficient  number  of  the  guards,  were  among  those 
who  remained.  The  bustling  Peterchen  had  lost 
some  of  his  desire  to  take  his  place  at  the  banquet, 
in  the  difficulties  of  the  question  which  had  arisen, 
and  in  the  certainty  that  nothing  material,  in  the 
way  of  gastronomy,  would  be  attempted  until  he 
appeared.  We  should  do  injustice  to  his  heart, 
did  we  not  add,  also,  that  he  had  troublesome 
qualms  of  conscience,  which  intuitively  admonished 
him  that  the  world  had  dealt  hardly  with  the  family 
of  Balthazar.  There  remained  the  party  of  Maso, 
too,  to  dispose  of,  and  his  character  of  an  upright 
as  well  as  of  a  firm  magistrate  to  maintain.  As 
the  crowd  diminished,  however,  he  and  those  near 
him  descended  from  their  high  places,  and  mixed 
with  the  few  who  occupied  the  still  guarded  area 
in  front  of  the  stage. 

Balthazar  had  not  stirred  from  his  riveted  posture 
near  the  table  of  the  notary,  for  he  shrunk  from 
encountering,  in  the  company  of  his  wife  and 
daughter,  the  insults  to  which  he  should  be  exposed 
now  his  character  was  known,  by  mingling  with 
the  crowd,  and  he  waited  for  a  favorable  moment 
to  withdraw  unseen.  Marguerite  still  stood  folding 
Christine  to  her  bosom,  as  if  jealous  of  farther  in 
jury  to  her  beloved.  The  recreant  bridegroom 
had  taken  the  earliest  opportunity  to  disappear, 
and  was  seen  no  more  in  Vevey  during  the  re 
mainder  of  the  revels. 

Peterchen  cast  a  hurried  glance  at  this  group, 
as  his  foot  reached  the  ground,  and  then  turning 
towards  the  thief-takers  he  made  a  sign  for  them 
to  advance  with  their  prisoners. 

"  Thy  evil  tongue  has  balked  one  of  the  mosl 


316  THE    HEADSMAN. 

engaging  rites  of  this  day's  festival,  knave ;"  ob 
served  the  bailiff,  addressing  Pippo  with  a  certain 
magisterial  reproof  in  his  voice.  "  I  should  do 
well  to  send  thee  to  Berne,  to  serve  a  month  among 
those  who  sweep  the  city  streets,  as  a  punishment 
for  thy  raven  throat.  What,  in  the  name  of  all 
thy  Roman  saints  and  idols,  hadst  thou  against  the 
happiness  of  these  honest  people,  that  thou  must 
come,  in  this  unseemly  manner,  to  destroy  it  ?" 

"  Naught  but  the  love  of  truth,  eccellenza,  and 
a  just  horror  of  the  man  of  blood." 

"  That  thou  and  all  like  thee  should  have  a  horror 
of  the  ministers  of  the  law,  I  can  understand ;  and 
it  is  more  than  probable  that  thy  dislike  will  extend 
to  me,  for  I  am  about  to  pronounce  a  just  judgment 
on  thee  and  thy  fellows  for  disturbing  the  harmony 
of  the  day,  and  especially  for  having  been  guilty 
of  the  enormous  crime  of  an  outrage  on  our  agents.''1 

"Couldst  thou  grant  me  a  moment's  leave?" 
asked  the  Genoese  in  his  ear. 

"  An  hour,  noble  Gaetano,  if  thou  wilt." 

The  two  then  conversed  apart,  for  a  minute  or 
more.  During  the  brief  dialogue,  the  Signor  Gri- 
maldi  occasionally  looked  at  the  quiet  and  appar 
ently  contrite  Maso,  and  stretched  hia  arm  towards 
the  Leman,  in  a  way  to  give  the  observers  an 
inkling  of  his  subject.  The  countenance  of  the 
Herr  Hofmeister  changed  from  official  sternness 
to  an  expression  of  decent  concern  as  he  listened, 
and  ere  long  it  took  a  decidedly  forgiving  laxity 
of  muscle.  When  the  other  had  done  speaking, 
he  bowed  a  ready  assent  to  what  he  had  just  heard, 
and  returned  to  the  prisoners. 

"  As  I  have  just  observed,"  he  resumed,  "  it  is 
my  duty  now  to  pronounce  finally  on  these  men 
and  their  conduct.    Firstly  they  are  strangers,  and 
as  such  are  not  only  ignorant  of  our  laws,  but  en 
titled   to  our   hospitality;   next,   they  have  been 


THE    HEADSMAN.  317 

punished  sufficiently  for  the  original  offence,  by 
being  abridged  of  the  day's  sports ;  and  as  to  the 
crime  committed  against  ourselves,  in  the  person 
of  our  agents,  it  is  freely  forgiven,  for  forgiveness 
is  a  generous  quality,  an*d  becomes  a  paternal  form 
of  rule.  Depart  therefore,  of  God's  name  !  all  of 
ye  to  a  man,  and  remember  henceforth  to  be  dis 
creet.  Signore,  and  you,  Herr  Baron,  shall  we  to 
the  banquet  ?" 

The  two  old  friends  had  already  moved  onward, 
in  close  and  earnest  discourse,  and  the  bailiff  was 
obliged  to  seek  out  another  companion.  None  of 
fered,  at  the  moment,  but  Sigismund,  who  had 
stood,  since  quitting  the  stage,  in  an  attitude  of 
complete  indecision  and  helplessness,  notwithstand 
ing  his  great  physical  energy  and  his  usual  moral 
readiness  to  act.  Taking  the  arm  of  the  young 
soldier,  with  the  disregard  of  ceremony  that  de 
notes  a  sense  of  condescension,  the  bailiff  drew 
him  away  from  the  spot,  heedless  himself  of  the 
other's  reluctance,  and  without  observing  that,  in 
consequence  of  the  general  desertion,  for  few  were 
disposed  to  indulge  their  compassion  unless  it  were 
in  company  with  the  honored  and  noble,  Adelheid 
was  left  absolutely  alone  with  the  family  of  Bal 
thazar. 

"This  office  of  a  headsman,  Herr  Sigismund," 
commenced  the  unobservant  Peterchen,  too  full  of 
his  own  opinions,  and  much  too  sensible  of  his 
right  to  be  delivered  of  them  in  the  presence  of  his 
junior  and  inferior,  to  note  the  youth's  trouble,  "is 
at  the  best  but  a  disgusting  affair ;  though  we,  of 
station  and  authority,  are  obliged  prudently  to  ap 
pear  to  deem  it  otherwise  before  the  people,  in  our 
own  interest.  Thou  hast  had  occasion  to  remark 
often,  in  the  discipline  of  thy  military  followers, 
that  a  false  coloring  must  be  put  upon  things,  lest 
they  who  are  very  necessary  to  the  state  should 
2B  2 


318  THE    HEADSMAN. 

not  think  the  state  quite  so  necessary  to  them. 
What  is  thy  opinion,  Captain  Si^ismund,  as  a  man 
who  has  yet  his  hopes  and  his  views  on  the  softer 
sex,  of  this  act  of  Jacques  Colis  ? — Is  it  conduct 
to  be  approved  of,  or  to  be  condemned  ?" 

"  I  deem  him  a  heartless,  mercenary,  miscreant!" 

The  suppressed  energy  with  which  these  unex 
pccted  words  were  uttered  caused  the  bailiff  to 
stop  and  to  look  up  in  his  companion's  face,  as  if 
to  ask  its  reason.  But  there  all  was  already  calm, 
for  the  young  man  had  too  long  been  accustomed 
to  drill  its  expression,  when  the  sensitive  sore  of 
his  origin  was  probed,  as  so  frequently  happened, 
to  permit  the  momentary  weakness  long  to  main 
tain  its  ascendency. 

"  Ay,  this  is  the  opinion  of  thy  years ;"  resumed 
Peterchen.  "  Thou  art  at  a  time  of  life  when  we 
esteem  a  pretty  face  and  a  mellow  eye  of  more 
account  even  than  gold.  But  we  put  on  our  inte 
rested  spectacles  after  thirty,  and  seldom  see  any 
thing  very  admirable,  that  is  not  at  the  same  time 
very  lucrative.  Here  is  Melchior  de  Willading's 
daughter,  now,  a  woman  to  set  a  city  in  a  blaze, 
for  she  hath  wit,  and  lands,  and  beauty,  besides 
good  blood ; — what,  for  instance,  is  thy  opinion  of 
her  merit?" 

"  That  she  is  deserving  of  all  the  happiness  that 
every  human  excellence  ought  to  confer!" 

"  Hum — thou  art  nearer  to  thirty  than  I  had 
thought  thee,  Herr  Sigismund  !  But  touching  this 
Balthazar,  thou  art  not  to  believe,  on  account  of 
the  few  words  of  grace  which  fell  from  me,  that 
my  aversion  for  the  wretch  is  less  than  thine,  or 
than  that  of  any  other  honest  man ;  but  it  would 
be  unseemly  and  unwise  in  a  bailiff  to  desert  the 
last  minister  of  the  law's  decrees  in  the  face  of 
the  public.  There  are  feelings  and  sentiments 
;hat  are  natural  to  us  all,  and  among  them  are  to 


THE    HEADSMAN  319 

be  classed  respect  and  honor  for  the  well  and 
nobly  born,"  (the  discourse  was  in  German,)  "  and 
hatred  and  contempt  for  those  who  are  condemn 
ed  of  men.  These  are  feelings  which  belong  to 
human  nature  itself,  and  God  forbid  that  I,  a  man 
already  past  the  age  of  romance,  should  really  en 
tertain  any  sentiments  that  are  not  strictly  human." 

"  Do  they  not  rather  belong  to  abuses — to  our 
prejudices  f" 

"  The  difference  is  not  material,  in  a  practical 
view,  young  man.  That  which  is  fairly  bred  into 
the  mind,  by  discipline  and  habit,  gets  to  be  stronger 
than  instinct,  or  even  than  one  of  the  senses.  Let 
there  be  an  unseemly  sight,  or  a  foul  smell  near 
thee,  and  thou  hast  only  to  turn  thy  eyes,  or  hold 
thy  nose,  to  be  rid  of  it;  but  I  could  never  find 
the  means  to  lessen  a  prejudice  that  was  once 
fairly  seated  in  the  mind.  Thou  mayest  look  whi 
ther  thou  wilt,  and  shut  out  the  unsavory  odors  of 
the  imagination  by  all  the  means  thou  canst  in 
vent,  but  if  a  man  is,  in  truth,  condemned  of  opinion, 
he  might  as  well  make  his  appeal  to  God  at  once 
for  justice,  as  to  any  mercy  he  is  likely  to  receive 
from  men.  This  much  have  I  learned  in  my  ex 
perience  as  a  public  functionary." 

"  I  should  hope  that  these  are  not  the  legal  dog 
mas  of  our  ancient  canton,"  returned  the  youth, 
conquering  his  feelings,  though  it  cost  him  a  severe 
effort. 

"  As  far  from  it  as  Basle  is  from  Coire.  We 
hold  no  such  discreditable  doctrines.  I  challenge 
the  world  to  show  a  state  that  possesses  a  fairer 
set  of  maxims  than  ourselves,  and  we  even  endea 
vor  to  make  our  practice  chime  in  with  our 
opinions,  whenever  it  can  be  done  in  safety.  No, 
in  these  particulars,  Berne  is  a  paragon  of  a  com 
munity,  and  as  rarely  says  one  thing  and  does 
another,  as  any  government  you  shall  see.  What 


320  THE    HEADSMAN. 

I  now  tell  thee,  young  man,  is  said  to  thee  m  the 
familiarity  of  a  fete,  as  thou  know'st,  in  which 
there  have  been  some  fooleries,  to  open  confidence 
and  to  loosen  the  tongue.  We  openly  and  loudly 
profess  great  truth  and  equality  before  the  law, 
saving  the  city's  rights,  and  take  holy,  heavenly, 
upright  justice  for  our  guide  in  all  matters  of 
theory.  Himmel !  If  thou  would'st  have  thy 
affair  decided  on  principle,  go  before  the  councils, 
or  the  magistracy  of  the  canton,  and  thou  shalt 
hear  such  wisdom,  and  witness  such  keen-sighted- 
ness  into  chicanery,  as  would  have  honored  Solo 
mon  himself!" 

"  And  notwithstanding  this,  prejudice  is  a  gene 
ral  master." 

"  How  canst  thou  have  it  otherwise  ?  Is  not  a 
man  a  man  ?  Will  he  not  lean  as  he  has  been  weigh 
ed  upon? — does  not  the  tree  grow  in  the  way  the 
twig  is  bent?  No,  while  I  adore  justice,  Herr  Sigis- 
mund,  as  becomes  a  bailiff,  I  confess  to  both  preju 
dice  and  partiality,  mentally  considered.  Now, 
vonder  maiden,  the  pretty  Christine,  lost  some  of 
her  grace  in  my  eyes,  as  no  doubt  she  did  in 
thine,  when  the  truth  came  to  be  known  that  she 
was  Balthazars  child.  The  girl  is  fair  and  modest 
and  winning  in  her  way ;  but  there  is  something 
— I  cannot  tell  thee  what — but  a  certain  damnable 
something — a  taint — a  color — a  hue — a — a — a — 
that  showed  her  origin  the  instant  I  heard  who 
was  her  parent — was  it  not  so  with  thee  ?" 

"  When  her  origin  was  proved,  but  not  previ 
ously." 

"  Ay,  of  a  certainty ;  I  mean  not  otherwise.  But 
a  thing  is  not  seen  any  the  worse  because  it  is  seen 
thoroughly,  although  it  may  be  seen  falsely  when 
there  are  false  covers  to  conceal  its  ugliness.  Par 
ticularity  is  necessary  to  philosophy.  Ignorance 
is  a  mask  to  conceal  the  little  details  that  are  neces 


THE    HEADSMAN.  321 

sary  to  knowledge.  Your  Moor  might  pass  for  a 
Christian  in  a  mask,  but  strip  him  of  his  covering 
and  the  true  shade  of  the  skin  is  seen.  Didst  thou 
not  observe,  for  instance,  in  all  that  touches  femi 
nine  grace  and  perfection,  the  manifest  difference 
between  the  daughter  of  Melchior  de  Willading 
and  the  daughter  of  this  Balthazar  1" 

"  There  was  the  difference  between  a  maiden  01 
most  honored  and  happy  extraction  and  a  maiden 
most  miserably  condemned !" 

"Nay,  the  Demoiselle  de  Willading  is  the  fairer.' 

"  Nature  has  certainly  been  most  bountiful  to  the 
heiress  of  Willading,  Herr  Bailiff,  who  is  scarcely 
less  attractive  for  her  female  grace  and  goodness, 
than  she  is  fortunate  in  the  accidents  of  birth  and 
condition." 

"  I  knew  thou  couldst  not,  in  secret,  be  of  a  dif 
ferent  mind  from  the  rest  of  men  !"  exclaimed 
Peterchen  in  triumph,  for  he  took  the  warmth  of 
his  companion's  manner  to  be  a  reluctant  and 
half-concealed  assent  to  his  own  proposition. 
Here  the  discourse  ended :  for,  the  earnest  con 
ference  between  Melchior  and  the  Signor  Grimaldi 
having  terminated,  the  bailiff  hastened  to  join  his 
more  important  guests,  and  Sigismund  was  releas 
ed  from  an  examination  that  had  harrowed  every 
feeling  of  his  soul,  while  he  even  despised  the  be 
sotted  loquacity  of  the  man  who  had  been  the 
instrument  of  his  torture. 

The  separation  of  Adelheid  from  her  father  was 
anticipated  and  previously  provided  for;  since  the 
men  were  expected  to  resort  to  the  banquet  at  this 
hour.  She  had  continued  near  Christine  and  her 
mother,  therefore,  without  attracting  any  unusual 
attention  to  her  movements,  even  in  those  who 
were  the  objects  of  her  sympathy,  a  feeling  that 
was  so  natural  in  one  of  her  years  and  sex.  A 
male  attendant,  in  the  livery  of  her  father's  houso 


322  THE   HEADSMAN. 

remained  near  her  person,  a  protector  who  was 
certain  to  insure  not  only  her  safety  in  the  throng 
ed  streets  of  the  town,  but  to  exact  from  those 
whose  faculties  were  beginning  to  yield  to  the 
excesses  of  the  occasion  the  testimonials  of  re 
spect  that  were  due  to  her  station.  It  was  under 
these  circumstances,  then,  that  the  more  honored, 
and,  to  the  eyes  of  the  uninstructed,  the  happier  of 
these  maidens,  approached  the  other,  when  curi 
osity  was  so  far  appeased  as  to  have  left  the  fami 
ly  o*f  Balthazar  nearly  alone  in  the  centre  of  the 
square. 

"  Is  there  no  friendly  roof  near,  to  which  thou 
canst  withdraw  ?"  asked  the  heiress  of  Willading 
of  the  mother  of  the  pallid  and  scarcely  conscious 
Christine;  "thou  wouldst  do  better  to  seek  some 
shelter  and  privacy  for  thy  unoffending  and  much 
injured  child.  If  any  that  belong  to  me  can  be  of 
service,  I  pray  that  thou  wilt  command  as  freely 
as  if  they  were  followers  of  thine  own." 

Marguerite  had  never  before  spoken  with  a 
female  of  a  rank  superior  to  the  ordinary  classes. 
The  ample  means  of  both  her  father's  and  her  hus 
band's  family  had  furnished  all  that  was  necessary 
to  the  improvement  of  the  mind  of  one  in  her  sta 
tion,  and  perhaps  she  had  been  the  gainer,  in  mere 
deportment,  by  having  been  greatly  excluded,  by 
their  prejudices,  from  association  with  females  of 
her  own  condition.  As  is  often  seen  among  those 
who  have  the  thoughts  without  the  conventional 
usages  of  a  better  caste  in  life,  she  was  slightly 
tinctured  with  an  exhibition  of  what  might  be 
termed  an  exaggerated  manner,  while  at  the  same 
time  it  was  perfectly  free  from  vulgarity  or  coarse 
ness.  The  gentle  accents  of  Adelheid  fell  on  her 
ear  soothingly,  and  she  gazed  long  and  earnestly 
at  the  beautiful  speaker  without  a  reply. 

"Who  and  what  art  thou,   that  canst  think  a 


THE    HEADSMAN.  323 

headsman's  child  may  receive  an  insult  that  is 
unmerited,  and  who  offerest  the  service  of  thy 
menials,  as  if  the  very  vassal  would  not  refuse  his 
master's  bidding  in  our  behalf!" 

"  I  am  Adelheid  de  Willading,  the  daughter  of 
the  baron  of  that  name,  and  one  much  disposed 
to  temper  this  cruel  blow  to  the  feelings  of  poor 
Christine.  Suffer  that  my  people  seek  the  means 
to  convey  thy  child  to  some  other  place !" 

Marguerite  folded  her  daughter  still  closer  to 
her  bosom,  passing  a  hand  across  her  brow,  as  if 
to  recall  some  half-obscured  idea. 

"I  have  heard  of  thee,  lady. — 'Tis  said  that 
thou  art  kind  to  the  wronged,  and  of  excellent 
dispositions  towards  the  unhappy — that  thy  father's 
castle  is  an  honored  and  hospitable  abode,  which 
those  who  enter  rarely  love  to  quit.  But  hast 
thou  well  weighed  the  consequences  of  this  libe 
rality  towards  a  race,  that  is  and  has  been  pro 
scribed  of  men,  from  generation  to  generation — 
from  him  who  first  lent  himself  to  his  bloody  office, 
with  a  cruel  heart  and  a  greedy  desire  for  gold,  to 
him  whose  courage  is  scarcely  equal  to  the  dis 
gusting  duty?  Hast  thou  bethought  thee  of  this, 
or  hast  thou  yielded,  heedlessly,  to  a  sudden  and 
youthful  impulse?" 

"Of  all  this  have  I  thought,"  said  Adelheid, 
eagerly ;  "  whatever  may  be  the  injustice  of  others, 
thou  hast  none  to  fear  from  me." 

Marguerite  yielded  the  form  of  her  child  to  the 
support  of  her  father's  arm,  and  drew  nearer,  with 
a  gaze  of  earnest  and  pleased  interest,  to  the  blush 
ing  but  still  composed  Adelheid.  She  took  the 
hand  of  the  latter,  and,  with  a  look  of  recognition 
and  intelligence,  said  slowly,  as  if  communing 
with  herself,  rather  than  speaking  to  another — 

"  This  is  getting  to  be  intelligible !"  she  murmur 
ed  ;  "  there  is  still  gratitude  and  creditable  feeling 


324 


THE    HEADSMAN. 


m  the  world.  I  can  understand  why  we  are  not 
"evoking  to  this  fair  being:  she  has  a  sense  of  jus 
tice  that  is  stronger  than  her  prejudices.  We  have 
done  her  service,  and  she  is  not  ashamed  of  the 
source  whence  it  has  come!" 

The  heart  of  Adelheid  throbbed  quick  and  vio 
lently  ;  and,  for  a  moment,  she  doubted  her  ability 
to  command  her  feelings.  But  the  pleasing  con 
viction  that  Sigismund  had  been  honorable  and 
delicate,  even  in  his  most  sacred  and  confidential 
communications  with  his  own  mother,  came  to 
relieve  her,  and  to  make  her  momentarily  happy  ; 
since  nothing  is  so  painful  to  the  pure  mind,  as  to 
think  those  they  love  have  acted  unworthily ;  or 
nothing  so  grateful,  as  the  assurance  that  they 
merit  the  esteem  we  have  been  induced  liberally 
and  confidingly  to  bestow. 

"  You  do  me  no  more  than  justice,"  returned 
the  pleased  listener  of  this  flattering  and  seemingly 
involuntary  opinion — "  we  are  indeed — indeed  we 
are  truly  grateful ;  but  had  we  not  reason  for  the 
sacred  obligations  of  gratitude,  I  think  we  could 
still  be  just.  Will  you  not  now  consent  that  my 
people  should  aid  you?" 

"  This  is  not  necessary,  lady.  Send  away  thy 
followers,  for  their  presence  will  draw  unpleasant 
observations  on  our  movements.  The  town  is  now 
occupied  with  feasts,  and,  as  we  have  not  blindly 
overlooked  the  necessity  of  a  retreat  for  the  hunt 
ed  and  persecuted,  we  will  take  the  opportunity  to 
withdraw  unseen.  As  for  thyself — " 

"  I  would  be  near  this  innocent  at  a  moment 
so  trying," — added  Adelheid  earnestly,  and  with 
tnat  visible  sympathy  which  rarely  fails  to  meer 
an  echo. 

"  Heaven  bless  thee !  Heaven  bless  thee,  sweet 
girl !  And  Heaven  will  bless  thee,  for  few  wrongs 
go  unrequited  in  this  life,  and  little  good  without 


THE    HEADSMAN.  326 

its  reward.  Send  thy  followers  away,  or  if  thy 
habits  require  their  watchfulness,  let  them  be  near 
unseen,  whilst  thou  watchest  our  movements;  and 
when  the  eyes  of  all  are  turned  on  their  own  plea 
sures,  thou  canst  follow.  Heaven  bless  thee — ay, 
and  Heaven  will !" 

Marguerite  then  led  her  daughter  towards  one 
of  the  least  frequented  streets.  She  was  accom-' 
panied  by  the  silent  Balthazar,  and  closely  watched 
by  one  of  the  menials  of  Adelheid.  When  fairly 
housed,  the  domestic  returned  to  show  the  spot  to 
his  mistress,  who  had  appeared  to  occupy  herself 
with  the  hundred  silly  devices  that  were  invented 
to  amuse  the  multitude.  Dismissing  her  attend 
ants,  with  an  order  to  remain  at  hand,  however, 
the  heiress  of  Willading  soon  found  means  to  enter 
the  humble  abode  in  which  the  proscribed  family 
had  taken  refuge,  and,  as  she  was  expected,  she 
was  soon  introduced  into  the  chamber  where  Chris 
tine  and  her  mother  had  taken  refuge. 

The  sympathy  of  the  young  and  tender  Adelheid 
was  precious  to  one  of  the  character  of  Christine. 
They  wept  together,  for  the  weakness  of  her  sex 
prevailed  over  the  pride  of  the  former,  when  she 
found  herself  unrestrained  by  the  observation  of 
the  world,  and  she  gave  way  to  the  torrent  of  feel 
ing  that  broke  through  its  bounds,  in  spite  of  her 
endeavors  to  control  it.  Marguerite  was  the  only 
spectator  of  this  silent  but  intelligible  communion 
between  these  two  young  and  pure  spirits,  and 
her  soul  was  shaken  by  the  unlooked-for  commis 
eration  of  one  so  honored,  and  who  was  usually 
esteemed  so  happy. 

"  Thou  hast  the  consciousness  of  our  wrongs," 

she  said,  when  the  first  burst  of  emotion  had  a 

little  subsided.     "  Thou  canst  then  believe  that  a 

headsman's  child  is  like  the  offspring  of  another 

20 


326  THE    HEADSMAN. 

and  is  not  to  be  hunted  of  men  like  the  young  of  a 
wolf." 

"  Mother,  this  is  the  Baron  de  Willading's  heir 
ess,"  said  Christine :  "  would  she  come  here,  did 
she  not  pity  us?" 

'•  Yes,  she  can  pity  us — and  yet  I  find  it  hard 
even  to  be  pitied !  Sigismund  has  told  us  of  her 
goodness,  and  she  may,  in  truth,  feel  for  the 
wretched !" 

The  allusion  to  her  son  caused  the  temples  of 
Adelheid  to  burn  like  fire,  while  there  was  a  chill, 
resembling  that  of  death,  at  her  heart.  The  first 
arose  from  the  quick  and  uncontrollable  alarm  of 
female  sensitiveness ;  the  last  was  owing  to  the 
shock  inseparable  from  being  presented  with  this 
vivid,  palpable  picture  of  Sigismund's  close  affinity 
with  the  family  of  an  executioner.  She  could  have 
better  borne  it,  had  Marguerite  spoken  of  her  son 
less  familiarly,  or  with  more  of  that  feigned  igno 
rance  of  each  other,  which,  without  stopping  to 
scan  its  fitness,  she  had  been  led  to  think  existed 
between  the  young  man  and  his  family. 

"Mother!"  exclaimed  Christine  reproachfully, 
and  in  surprise,  as  if  a  great  indiscretion  had  been 
thoughtlessly  committed. 

"  It  matters  not,  child ;  it  matters  not.  I  saw 
by  the  kindling  eye  of  Sigismund  to-day,  that  our 
secret  will  not  much  longer  be  kept.  The  noble 
boy  must  show  more  energy  than  those  who  have 
gone  before  him ;  he  must  quit  for  ever  a  country 
in  which  he  was  condemned,  even  before  he  was 
corn." 

"  I  shall  not  deny  that  your  connexion  with 
Monsieur  Sigismund  is  known  to  me,"  said  Adel 
heid,  summoning  all  her  resolution  to  make  an 
avowal  which  put  her  at  once  into  the  confidence 
of  Balthazar's  family.  "You  are  acquainted  with 
the  heavy  debt  of  gratitude  we  owe  your  son,  and 


THE    HEADSMAN. 


327 


it  will  explain  the  nature  of  the  interest  I  now  feel 
in  your  wrongs." 

The  keen  eye  of  Marguerite  studied  the  crim 
soned  features  of  Adelheid  till  forgetfulness  got 
the  better  of  discretion.  The  search  was  anxious, 
rather  than  triumphant,  the  feeling  most  dreaded 
by  its  subject ;  and,  when  her  eyes  were  withdrawn, 
the  mother  of  the  youth  became  thoughtful  and 
pensive.  This  expressive  communion  produced  a 
deep  and  embarrassing  silence,  which  each  would 
gladly  have  broken,  had  they  not  both  been  irresist 
ibly  tongue-tied  by  the  rapidity  and  intensity  of 
their  thoughts. 

"We  know  that  Sigismund  hath  been  of  ser 
vice  to  thee,"  observed  Marguerite,  who  always 
addressed  her  gay  companion  with  the  familiarity 
that  belonged  to  her  greater  age,  rather  than  with 
the  respect  which  Adelheid  had  been  accustomed 
to  receive  from  those  who  were  of  a  rank  inferioi 
to  her  own.  "  The  brave  boy  hath  spoken  of  it, 
though  he  hath  spoken  of  it  modestly." 

"  He  had  every  right  to  do  himself  justice  in 
his  communications  with  those  of  his  own  family. 
Without  his  aid,  my  father  would  have  been 
childless ;  and  without  his  brave  support,  the  child 
fatherless.  Twice  has  he  stood  between  us  and 
death." 

"  I  have  heard  of  this,"  returned  Marguerite, 
again  fastening  her  penetrating  eye  on  the  tell-tale 
features  of  Adelheid,  which  never  failed  to  bright 
en  and  glow,  whenever  there  was  allusion  to  the 
courage  and  self-devotion  of  him  she  secretly 
loved.  "  As  to  what  thou  say'st  of  the  intimacy 
of  our  poor  boy  with  those  of  his  blood,  cruel 
circumstances  stand  between  us  and  our  wishes. 
If  Sigismund  has  .told  thee  of  whom  he  comes 
ne  has  also  most  probably  told  thee  of  the  manner 


THE    HEADSMAN. 


in  which  he  passes,  in  the  world,  for  that  which 
he  is  not." 

"  I  believe  he  has  not  withheld  any  thing  that  he 
knew,  and  which  it  was  proper  to  communicate  to 
me ;"  answered  Adelheid,  dropping  her  eyes  before 
the  attentive,  expectant  look  of  Marguerite.  "  He 
has  spoken  freely,  and — " 

"  Thou  wouldst  have  said — " 

"Honorably,  and  as  became  a  soldier;"  con 
tinued  Adelheid,  firmly. 

"  He  has  done  well !  This  lightens  my  heart  of 
one  burthen  at  least.  No ;  God  has  destined  us  to 
this  fate,  and  it  would  have  grieved  me  that  a  son 
of  mine  should  have  failed  of  principle  in  an  affair, 
of  all  others,  in  which  it  is  most  wanted.  You 
look  amazed,  lady !" 

"  These  sentiments,  in  one  so  situated,  surprise 
as  much  as  they  delight  me !  If  any  thing  could 
excuse  some  looseness  in  the  manner  of  regarding 
the  usual  ties  of  life,  it  would  surely  be  to  find 
oneself  so  placed,  by  no  misconduct  of  our  own,  as 
to  be  a  but  to  the  world's  dislike  and  injustice ; 
and  yet  here,  where  there  was  reason  to  expect 
some  resentment  against  fortune,  I  meet  with  sen 
timents  that  would  honor  a  throne !" 

"  Thou  thinkest  as  one  more  accustomed  to  con 
sider  thy  fellow-creatures  through  the  means  of 
what  men  fancy,  than  through  things  as  they  are. 
This  is  the  picture  of  youth,  and  inexperience,  and 
innocence ;  but  it  is  not  the  picture  of  life.  'Tis 
misfortune,  and  not  prosperity  that  chasteneth,  by 
proving  our  insufficiency  for  true  happiness,  and 
by  leading  the  soul  to  depend  on  a  power  greater 
than  any  that  is  to  be  found  on  earth.  We  fall 
before  the  temptation  of  happiness,  when  we  rise 
in  adversity.  If  thou  thinkest,  innocent  one,  that 
noble  and  just  sentiments  belong  to  the  fortunate, 
thou  trustest  to  a  false  guide.  There  are  evils 


THE    HEADSMAN.  329 

which  flesh  cannot  endure,  it  is  true ;  but,  removed 
from  these  overwhelming  wants,  wre  are  strongest 
in  the  right,  when  least  tempted  by  vanity  and  am 
bition.  More  starving  beggars  abstain  from  steal 
ing  the  crust  they  crave,  than  pampered  gluttons 
deny  themselves  the  luxury  that  kills  them.  They 
that  live  under  the  rod,  see  and  dread  the  hand 
that  holds  it;  they  •who  riot  in  earth's  glories, 
come  at  last  to  think  they  deserve  the  short-lived 
distinctions  they  enjoy.  When  thou  goest  down 
into  the  depths  of  misery,  thou  hast  naught  to  fear 
except  the  anger  of  God  !  It  is  when  raised  above 
others,  that  thou  shouldst  tremble  most  for  thine 
own  safety." 

"  This  is  not  the  manner  in  which  the  world  is 
used  to  reason." 

"  Because  the  world  is  governed  by  those  whose 
interest  it  is  to  pervert  truth  to  their  own  objects, 
and  not  by  those  whose  duties  run  hand-in-hand 
with  the  right.  But  we  will  say  no  more  of  this, 
lady ;  here  is  one  that  feels  too  acutely  just  now  to 
admit  truth  to  be  too  freely  spoken." 

'•  Dost  feel  thyself  better,  and  more  able  to  listen 
to  thy  friends,  dear  Christine  ?"  asked  Adelheid, 
taking  the  hand  of  the  repudiated  and  deserted  girl 
with  the  tenderness  of  an  affectionate  sister. 

Until  now  the  sufferer  had  only  spoken  the  few 
words  related,  in  mild  reproof  of  her  mother's  in 
discretion.  That  little  had  been  uttered  with  parch 
ed  lips  and  a  choked  voice,  while  the  hue  of  her 
features  was  deadly  pale,  and  her  whole  countenance 
betrayed  intense  mental  anguish.  But  this  display 
of  interest  in  one  of  her  own  years  and  sex,  of 
whose  excellencies  she  had  been  accustomed  to 
hear  such  fervid  descriptions  from  the  warm-heart 
ed  Sigismund,  and  of  whose  sincerity  she  was  as 
sured  by  the  subtle  and  quick  instinct  that  unites 
the  innocent  and  young,  caused  a  quick  and  ex- 
2  C  2 


330  THE    HEADSMAN. 

.reme  change  in  her  sensibilities.  The  grief  which 
had  been  struggling  and  condensed,  now  flowed 
more  freely  from  her  eyes,  and  she  threw  herself, 
sobbing  and  weeping,  in  a  paroxysm  of  gentle,  but 
overwhelming,  feeling,  on  the  bosom  of  this  new 
found  friend.  The  experienced  Marguerite  smiled 
at  this  manifestation  of  kindness  on  the  part  of 
Adelheid,  though  even  this  expression  of  satisfaction 
was  austere  and  regulated  in  one  who  had  so  long 
stood  at  bay  with  the  world.  And,  after  a  short 
pause,  she  left  the  room,  under  the  belief  that  such 
a  communion  with  a  spirit,  pure  and  inexperienced 
as  her  own,  a  communion  so  unusual  to  her  daugh 
ter,  would  be  more  likely  to  produce  a  happy  effect, 
if  left  to  themselves,  than  when  restrained  by  her 
presence. 

The  two  girls  wept  in  common,  for  a  long  time 
after  Marguerite  had  disappeared.  This  inter 
course,  chastened  as  it  was  by  sorrow,  and  rendered 
endearing  on  the  one  side  by  a  confiding  ingenu 
ousness,  and  on  the  other  by  generous  pity,  caused 
both  to  live  in  that  short  period,  as  it  were,  months 
together  in  a  near  and  dear  intimacy.  Confidence 
is  not  always  the  growth  of  time.  There  are  minds 
.hat  meet  each  other  with  a  species  of  affinity  that 
resembles  the  cohesive  property  of  matter,  and 
with  a  promptitude  and  faith  that  only  belongs  to 
the  purer  essence  of  which  they  are  composed. 
But  when  this  attraction  of  the  ethereal  part  of  the 
being  is  aided  by  the  feelings  that  have  been  warm 
ed  by  an  interest  so  tender  as  that  which  the  hearts 
of  both  the  maidens  felt  in  a  common  object,  its 
power  is  not  only  stronger,  but  quicker,  in  making 
itself  felt.  So  much  was  already  known  by  each 
of  the  other's  character,  fortunes,  and  hopes  (al 
ways  with  the  exception  of  Adelheid's  most  sacred 
secret,  which  Sigismund  cherished  as  a  deposit  by 
far  too  sacred  to  be  shared  even  with  his  sister'* 


THE    HEADSMAN  331 

that  the  meeting  under  no  circumstances  could 
have  been  that  of  strangers,  and  their  mutual 
knowledge  came  as  an  assistant  to  break  dpwn  the 
barriers  of  those  forms  which  were  so  irksome  to 
their  longings  for  a  freer  interchange  of  feeling 
and  thought.  Adelheid  possessed  too  much  intel 
lectual  tact  to  have  recourse  to  the  every-day 
language  of  consolation.  When  she  did  speak, 
which,  as  became  her  superior  rank  and  less  em 
barrassed  situation,  she  was  the  first  to  do,  it  was 
in  general  but  friendly  allusions. 

"  Thou  wilt  go  with  us  to  Italy,  in  the  morning," 
she  said,  drying  her  eyes;  "  my  father  quits  Blonay, 
in  company  with  the  Signor  Grimaldi,  with  to 
morrow's  sun,  and  thou  wilt  be  of  our  company  V9 

"  Where  thou  wilt — anywhere  with  thee — any 
where  to  hide  my  shame  !" 

The  blood  mounted  to  the  temples  of  Adelheid, 
her  air  even  appeared  imposing  to  the  eyes  of 
the  artless  and  unpractised  Christine,  as  she  an 
swered — 

"  Shame  is  a  word  that  applies  to  the  mean  and 
mercenary,  to  the  vile  and  unfaithful,"  she  said, 
with  womanly  and  virtuous  indignation  ;  "  but  not 
to  thee,  love." 

"  O !  do  not,  do  not  condemn  him ;"  whispered 
Christine,  covering  her  face  with  her  hands.  "  He 
has  found  himself  unequal  to  bearing  the  burthen 
of  our  degradation,  and  he  should  be  spoken  of  in 
pity  rather  than  with  hatred." 

Adelheid  was  silent ;  but  she  regarded  the  poor 
trembling  girl,  whose  head  now  nestled  in  her 
bosom,  with  melancholy  concern. 

"  Didst  thou  know  him  well  ?"  she  asked  in  a 
low  tone,  following  rather  the  chain  of  her  own 
thoughts,  than  reflecting  on  the  nature  of  the  ques 
tion  she  put.  "  I  had  hoped  that  this  refusal  would 
bring  no  other  pain  than  the  unavoidable  morti- 


332  THE    HEADSMAN. 

fication  whicn  I  fear  belongs  to  the  weakness  of 
our  sex  and  our  habits." 

"  Thou  knowest  not  how  dear  preference  is  to 
the  despised  ! — how  cherished  the  thought  of  being 
loved  becomes  to  those,  who,  out  of  their  own  nar 
row  limits  of  natural  friends,  have  been  accustomed 
to  meet  only  with  contempt  and  aversion  !  Thou 
hast  always  been  known,  and  courted,  and  happy  ! 
Thou  canst  not  know  how  dear  it  is  to  the  despised 
to  seem  even  to  be  preferred  !" 

"  Nay,  say  not  this,  I  pray  thee !"  answered 
Adelheid,  hurriedly,  and  with  a  throb  of  anguish 
at  her  heart ;  "  there  is  little  in  this  life  that  speaks 
fairly  for  itself.  We  are  not  always  what  we 
seem  ;  and  if  we  were,  and  far  more  miserable 
than  anything  but  vice  can  make  us,  there  is  an 
other  state  of  being,  in  which  justice — pure,  un 
alloyed  justice — will  be  done." 

"  I  will  go  with  thee  to  Italy,"  answered  Chris 
tine,  looking  calm  and  resolved,  while  a  glow  of 
holy  hope  bloomed  on  each  cheek ;  "  when  all  is 
over,  we  will  go  together  to  a  happier  world !" 

Adelheid  folded  the  stricken  and  sensitive  plant 
to  her  bosom.  Again  they  wept  together,  but  it 
was  with  a  milder  and  sweeter  sorrow  than  be 
fore. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

I'll  show  thee  the  best  springs ;  I'll  pluck  thee  berries. 

Tempest. 

THE  day  dawned  clear  and  cloudless  on  the 
Leman,  the  morning  that  succeeded  the  Abbaye 
des  Vignerons.  Hundreds  among  the  frugal  and 
time-saving  Swiss  had  left  the  town  before  the 
appearance  of  the  light,  and  many  strangers  were 


THE    HEADSMAN. 

crowding  into  the  barks,  as  the  sun  came  bright 
and  cheerfully  over  the  rounded  and  smiling  summits 
of  the  neighboring  cotes.  At  this  early  hour,  all  in 
and  around  the  rock-seated  castle  of  Blonay  were 
astir,  and  in  motion.  Menials  were  running,  writh 
hurried  air,  from  room  to  room,  from  court  to  terrace, 
and  from  lawn  to  tower.  The  peasants  in  the  adjoin 
ing  fields  rested  on  their  utensils  of  husbandry,  in 
gaping,  admiring  attention  to  the  preparations  of 
their  superiors.  For  though  we  are  not  writing  of  a 
strictly  feudal  age,  the  events  it  is  our  business  to  re 
cord  took  place  long  before  the  occurrence  of  those 
great  political  events,  which  have  since  so  mate 
rially  changed  the  social  state  of  Europe.  Swit 
zerland  was  then  a  sealed  country  to  most  of  those 
who  dwelt  even  in  the  adjoining  nations,  and  the 
present  advanced  condition  of  roads  and  inns  was 
quite  unknown,  not  only  to  these  mountaineers,  but 
throughout  the  rest  of  what  was  then  much  more 
properly  called  the  exclusively  civilized  portion  of 
the  globe,  than  it  is  to-day.  Even  horses  were 
not  often  used  in  the  passage  of  the  Alps,  but  re 
course  was  had  to  the  surer-footed  mule  by  the 
traveller,  and,  not  unfrequently,  by  the  more  prac 
tised  carrier  and  smuggler  of  those  rude  paths. 
Roads  existed,  it  is  true,  as  in  other  parts  of  Eu 
rope,  in  the  countries  of  the  plain,  if  any  portion 
of  the  great  undulating  surface  of  that  region  de 
serve  the  name ;  but  once  within  the  mountains, 
with  the  exception  of  very  inartificial  wheel-tracks 
in  the  straitened  and  glen-like  valleys,  the  hoof 
alone  was  to  be  trusted  or  indeed  used. 

The  long  train  of  travellers,  then,  that  left  the 
gates  of  Blonay  just  as  the  fog  began  to  stir  on  the 
wide  alluvial  meadows  of  the  Rhone,  were  all  in 
the  saddle.  A  courier,  accompanied  by  a  sump- 
ter-mule,  had  departed  over-night  to  prepare  the 
way  for  those  who  were  to  follow,  and  active 


334  THE    HEADSMAN". 

young  mountaineers  had  succeeded,  from  time  to 
time,  charged  with  different  orders,  issued  in  be 
half  of  their  comforts. 

As  the  cavalcade  passed  beneath  the  arch  of  the 
great  gate,  the  lively,  spirit-stirring  horn  sounded 
a  fare  \vell  air,  to  which  custom  had  attached  the 
signification  of  good  wishes.  It  took  the  way  to-J 
wards  ihe  level  of  the  Leman  by  means  of  a  wind 
ing  and  picturesque  bridle-path  that  led,  among 
alpine  meadows,  groves,  rocks,  and  hamlets,  fairly 
to  the  water-side.  Roger  de  Blonay  and  his  two 
principal  guests  rode  in  front,  the  former  seated 
on  a  war-horse  that  he  had  ridden  years  before  as 
a  soldier,  and  the  two  latter  well  mounted  on  beasts 
prepared  for,  and  accustomed  to,  the  mountains. 
Adelheid  and  Christine  came  next,  riding  by  them 
selves,  in  the  modest  reserve  of  their  maiden  con 
dition.  Their  discourse  was  low,  confidential,  and 
renewed  at  intervals.  A  few  menials  followed, 
and  then  came  Sigismund  at  the  side  of  the  Signor 
Grirnald's  friend,  and  one  of  the  family  of  Blonay, 
the  latter  of  whom  was  destined  to  return  with 
the  baron,  after  doing  honor  to  their  guests  by 
seeing  them  as  far  as  Villeneuve.  The  rear  was 
brought  up  by  muleteers,  domestics,  and  those  who 
led  the  beasts  that  bore  the  baggage.  All  of  the 
former  who  intended  to  cross  the  Alps  carried  the 
tire-rarms  of  the  period  at  their  saddle-bows,  and 
each  had  his  rapier,  his  couteau  de  chasse,  or  his 
weapon  of  more  military  fashion,  so  disposed 
about  his  person  as  to  denote  it  was  considered  an 
arm  for  whose  use  some  occasion  might  possibly 
occur. 

As  the  departure  from  Blonay  was  unaccom 
panied  by  any  of  those  leave-takings  which  usually 
impress  a  touch  of  melancholy  on  the  traveller, 
most  of  the  cavalcade,  as  they  issued  into  the  pure 
and  exhilarating  air  of  the  morning,  were  suffi 


THE    HEADSMAN.  335 

ciently  disposed  to  enjoy  the  loveliness  of  the  land 
scape,  and  to  indulge  in  the  cheerfulness  and  de 
light  that  a  scene  so  gloiious  is  apt  to  awaken,  ir 
all  who  are  alive  to  the  beauties  of  nature. 

Adelheid  gladly  pointed  out  to  her  companion  the 
various  objects  of  the  view,  as  a  means  of  recall 
ing  the  thoughts  of  Christine  from  her  own  par 
ticular  griefs,  which  were  heightened  by  regret 
for  the  loss  of  her  mother,  from  whom  she  was 
now  seriously  separated  for  the  first  time  in  her 
life,  since  their  communications,  though  secret, 
had  been  constant  during  the  years  she  had  dwelt 
under  another  roof.  The  latter  gratefully  lent  her 
self  to  the  kind  intentions  of  her  new  friend,  and 
endeavored  to  be  pleased  with  all  she  beheld, 
though  it  was  such  pleasure  as  the  sad  and  mourn 
ing  admit  with  a  jealous  reservation  of  their  own 
secret  causes  of  woe. 

"  Yonder  tower,  towards  which  we  advance,  is 
Chatelard,"  said  the  heiress  of  Willading  to  the 
daughter  of  Balthazar,  in  the  pursuit  of  her  kind 
intention ;  "  a  hold,  nearly  as  ancient  and  honora 
ble  as  this  we  have  just  quitted,  though  not  so  con 
stantly  the  dwelling  of  the  same  family ;  for  these 
of  Blonay  have  been  a  thousand  years  dwellers 
on  the  same  rock,  always  favorably  known  for 
their  faith  and  courage."  * 

"  Surely,  if  there  is  anything  in  life  that  can 
compensate  for  its  every-day  evils,"  observed  Chris 
tine,  in  a  manner  of  mild  regret  and  perhaps  with 
the  perversity  of  grief,  "  it  must  be  to  have  come 
from  those  who  have  always  been  known  and  hon 
ored  among  the  great  and  happy!  Even  virtue 
and  goodness,  and  great  deeds,  scarce  give  a  re 
spect  like  that  we  feel  for  the  Sire  de  Blonay,  whose 
family  has  been  seated,  as  thou  hast  just  said,  a 
thousand  years  on  that  rock  above  us !" 

Adelheid  was  mute.     She  appieciated  the  feel- 


336  THE    HEADSMAN. 

mg  which  had  so  naturally  led  her  companion  to 
a  reflection  like  this,  and  she  felt  the  difficulty  of 
applying  balm  to  a  wound  as  deep  as  that  which 
had  been  inflicted  on  her  companion. 

"  We  are  not  always  to  suppose  those  the  most 
happy  that  the  world  most  honors,"  she  at  length 
answered ;  "  the  respect  to  which  we  are  accus 
tomed  comes  in  time  to  be  necessary,  without  be 
ing  a  source  of  pleasure;  and  the  hazard  of  in 
curring  its  loss  is  more  than  equal  to  the  satisfac 
tion  of  its  possession." 

"  Thou  wilt  at  least  admit  that  to  be  despised 
and  shunned  is  a  curse  to  which  nothing  can  re 
concile  us." 

"  We  will  speak  now  of  other  things,  dear.  It 
may  be  long  ere  either  of  us  again  sees  this  grand 
display  of  rock  and  water,  of  brown  mountain  and 
shining  glacier ;  we  will  not  prove  ourselves  un 
grateful  for  the  happiness  we  have,  by  repining  for 
that  which  is  impossible." 

Christine  quietly  yielded  to  the  kind  intention  of 
her  new  friend,  and  they  rode  on  in  silence,  pick 
ing  their  way  along  the  winding  path,  until  the 
whole  party,  after  a  long  but  pleasant  descent, 
reached  the  road,  which  is  nearly  washed  by  the 
waters  of  the  lake.  There  has  already  been  allu 
sion,  in  the  earlier  pages  of  our  work,  to  the  ex 
traordinary  beauties  of  the  route  near  this  extrem 
ity  of  the  Leman.  After  climbing  to  the  height 
of  the  mild  and  healthful  Montreux,  the  cavalcade 
again  descended,  under  a  canopy  of  nut-trees,  to 
the  gate  of  Chillon,  and,  sweeping  around  the 
margin  of  the  sheet,  it  reached  Villeneuve  by  the 
hour  that  had  been  named  for  an  early  morning 
repast.  Here  all  dismounted,  and  refreshed  them 
selves  awhile,  when  Roger  de  Blonay  and  his  at 
tendants,  after  many  exchanges  of  warm  and  sin 
cere  good  wishes,  took  their  final  leave. 


THE    HEADSMAN.  337 

The  sun  was  scarcely  yet  visible  in  the  deep 
glens,  when  those  who  were  destined  for  St.  Ber 
nard  were  again  in  the  saddle.  The  road  now 
necessarily  left  the  lake,  traversing  those  broad 
alluvial  bottoms  which  have  been  deposited  during 
thirty  centuries  by  the  washings  of  the  Rhone, 
aided,  if  faith  is  to  be  given  to  geological  symp 
toms  and  to  ancient  traditions,  by  certain  violent 
convulsions  of  nature.  For  several  hours  our 
travellers  rode  amid  such  a  deep  fertility,  and 
such  a  luxuriance  of  vegetation,  that  their  path 
bore  more  analogy  to  an  excursion  on  the  wide 
plains  of  Lombardy,  than  to  one  amid  the  usual 
Swiss  scenery ;  although,  unlike  the  boundless  ex 
panse  of  the  Italian  garden,  the  view  was  limited 
on  each  side  by  perpendicular  barriers  of  rock, 
that  were  piled  for  thousands  of  feet  into  the  hea 
vens,  and  wThich  were  merely  separated  from  each 
other  by  a  league  or  two,  a  distance  that  dwindled 
to  miles  in  its  effect  on  the  eye,  a  consequence  of 
the  grandeur  of  the  scale  on  which  nature  has 
reared  these  vast  piles. 

It  was  high-noon  when  Melchior  de  Willading 
and  his  venerable  friend  led  the  way  across  the 
foaming  Rhone,  at  the  celebrated  bridge  of  St 
Maurice.  Here  the  country  of  the  Valais,  then, 
like  Geneva,  an  ally,  and  not  a  confederate  of  the 
Swiss  cantons,  was  entered,  and  all  objects,  both 
animate  and  inanimate,  began  to  assume  that  mix 
ture  of  the  grand,  the  sterile,  the  luxuriant,  and 
the  revolting,  for  which  this  region  is  so  generally 
known.  Adelheid  gave  an  involuntary  shudder, 
her  imagination  having  been  prepared  by  rumor 
for  even  more  than  the  truth  would  have  given 
reason  to  expect,  when  the  gate  of  St.  Maurice 
swung  back  upon  its  hinges,  literally  inclosing  the 
party  in  this  wild,  desolate,  and  yet  romantic  re 
gion.  As  they  proceeded  along  the  Rhone,  how 
2  D 


338  THE    HEADSMAN. 

ever,  she  and  those  of  her  companions  to  whom 
the  scene  was  new,  were  constantly  wondering 
at  some  unlooked-for  discrepancy,  that  drove  them 
from  admiration  to  disgust — from  the  exclamations 
of  delight  to  the  chill  of  disappointment.  The 
mountains  on  every  side  were  dreary,  and  without 
the  rich  relief  of  the  pastured  eminences,  but  most 
of  the  valley  was  rich  and  generous.  In  one  spot 
a  sac  d'eau,  one  of  those  reservoirs  of  water  which 
form  among  the  glaciers  on  the  summits  of  the 
rocks,  had  broken,  and,  descending  like  a  water 
spout,  it  had  swept  before  it  every  vestige  of  cul 
tivation,  covering  wide  breadths  of  the  meadows 
with  a  debris  that  resembled  chaos.  A  fright 
ful  barrenness,  and  the  most  smiling  fertility,  were 
in  absolute  contact:  patches  of  green,  that  had 
been  accidentally  favored  by  some  lucky  forma 
tion  of  the  ground,  sometimes  appearing  like  oases 
of  the  desert,  in  the  very  centre  of  a  sterility  that 
would  put  the  labor  and  the  art  of  man  at  defiance 
for  a  century.  In  the  midst  of  this  terrific  pic 
ture  of  want  sat  a  cretin,  with  his  semi-human  at 
tributes,  the  lolling  tongue,  the  blunted  faculties, 
and  the  degraded  appetites,  to  complete  the  deso 
lation.  Issuing  from  this  belt  of  annihilated  vege 
tation,  the  scene  became  again  as  pleasant  as  the 
fancy  could  desire,  or  the  eye  crave.  Fountains 
leaped  from  rock  to  rock  in  the  sun's  rays ;  the 
valley  was  green  and  gentle ;  the  mountains  began 
to  show  varied  and  pleasing  forms;  and  happy 
smiling  faces  appeared,  whose  freshness  and  regu 
larity  were  perhaps  of  a  cast  superior  to  that  of 
most  of  the  Swiss.  In  short,  the  Valais  was  then, 
as  now,  a  country  of  opposite  extremes,  but  in 
which,  perhaps,  there  is  a  predominance  of  the 
repulsive  and  inhospitable. 

It  was  fairly  nightfall,  notwithstanding  the  trifling 
distance  they  had  journeyed,  when  the  travellers 


THE    HEADSMAN. 


reached  Martigny,  where  dispositions  had  previous 
ly  been  made  for  their  reception  during  the  hours 
of  sleep.  Here  preparations  were  made  to  seek 
their  rest  at  an  early  hour,  in  order  to  be  in  readi 
ness  for  the  fatiguing  toil  of  the  following  day. 

Martigny  is  situated  at  the  point  where  the  great 
valley  of  the  Rhone  changes  its  direction  from  a 
north  and  south  to  an  east  and  west  course,  and  it 
is  the  spot  whence  three  of  the  celebrated  moun 
tain  paths  diverge,  to  make  as  many  passages  of 
the  upper  Alps.  Here  are  the  two  routes  of  the 
great  and  little  St.  Bernard,  both  of  which  lead 
into  Italy,  and  that  of  the  Col-de-Balme,  which 
crosses  a  spur  of  the  Alps  into  Savoy  toward  the 
celebrated  valley  of  Chamouni.  It  was  the  inten 
tion  of  the  Baron  de  Wil lading  and  his  friend  to 
journey  by  the  former  of  these  roads,  as  has  so 
often  been  mentioned  in  these  pages,  their  destina 
tion  being  the  capital  of  Piedmont.  The  passage 
of  the  great  St.  Bernard,  though  so  long  known  by 
its  ancient  and  hospitable  convent,  the  most  eleva 
ted  habitation  in  Europe,  and  in  these  later  times 
so  famous  for  the  passage  of  a  conquering  army 
is  but  a  secondary  alpine  pass,  considered  in  refer 
ence  to  the  grandeur  of  its  scenery.  The  ascent, 
so  inartificial  even  to  this  hour,  is  long  and  com 
paratively  without  danger,  and  in  general  it  is  suf 
ficiently  direct,  there  being  no  very  precipitous 
rise  like  those  of  the  Gemmi,  the  Grimsel,  and 
various  other  passes  in  Switzerland  and  Italy,  ex 
cept  at  the  very  neck,  or  col,  of  the  mountain, 
where  the  rock  is  to  be  literally  climbed  on  the 
rude  and  broad  steps  that  so  frequently  occur 
among  the  paths  of  the  Alps  and  the  Apennines. 
The  fatigue  of  this  passage  comes,  therefore, 
rather  from  its  length,  and  the  necessity  of  unre- 
mitted  diligence,  than  from  any  excessive  labor 
demanded  by  the  ascent;  and  the  reputation 


340  THE    HEADSMAN. 

acquired  by  the  great  captain  of  our  age,  in  lead 
ing  an  army  across  its  summit,  has  been  obtained 
more  by  the  military  combinations  of  which  it 
formed  the  principal  feature,  the  boldness  of  the 
conception,  and  the  secrecy  and  promptitude  with 
which  so  extensive  an  operation  was  effected,  than 
by  the  physical  difficulties  that  were  overcome. 
In  the  latter  particular,  the  passage  of  St.  Bernard, 
as  this  celebrated  coup-de-main  is  usually  called, 
has  frequently  been  outdone  in  our  own  wilds ;  for 
armies  have  often  traversed  regions  of  broad 
streams,  broken  mountains,  and  uninterrupted 
forests,  for  weeks  at  a  time,  in  which  the  mere 
bodily  labor  of  any  given  number  of  days  would 
be  found  to  be  greater  than  that  endured  on  this 
occasion  by  the  followers  of  Napoleon.  The  esti 
mate  we  attach  to  every  exploit  is  so  dependent  on 
the  magnitude  of  its  results,  that  men  rarely  come 
to  a  perfectly  impartial  judgment  on  its  merits ; 
the  victory  or  defeat,  however  simple  or  bloodless, 
that  shall  shake  or  assure  the  interests  of  civilized 
society,  being  always  esteemed  by  the  world  an 
event  of  greater  importance,  than  the  happiest 
combinations  of  thought  and  valor  that  affect  only 
the  welfare  of  some  remote  and  unknown  people. 
By  the  just  consideration  of  this  truth,  we  come 
to  understand  the  value  of  a  nation's  possessing 
confidence  in  itself,  extensive  power,  and  a  unity 
commensurate  to  its  means ;  since  small  and  divi 
ded  states  waste  their  strength  in  acts  too  insigni 
ficant  for  general  interest,  frittering  away  their 
mental  riches,  no  less  than  their  treasure  and 
blood,  in  supporting  interests  that  fail  to  enlist  the 
sympathies  of  any  beyond  the  pale  of  their  own 
borders.  The  nation  which,  by  the  adverse  cir 
cumstances  of  numerical  inferiority,  poverty  of 
means,  failure  of  enterprise,  or  want  of  opinion, 
cannot  sustain  its  own  citizens  in  the  acquisition 


THE    HEADSMAN.  341 

of  a  just  renown,  is  deficient  in  one  of  the  first  and 
most  indispensable  elements  of  greatness;  glory, 
like  riches,  feeding  itself,  and  being  most  apt  to  be 
found  where  its  fruits  have  already  accumulated. 
We  see,  in  this  fact,  among  other  conclusions,  the 
importance  of  an  acquisition  of  such  habits  of 
manliness  of  thought,  as  will  enable  us  to  decide 
on  the  merits  and  demerits  of  what  is  done  among 
ourselves,  and  of  shaking  off  that  dependence  on 
others  which  it  is  too  much  the  custom  of  some 
among  us  to  dignify  with  the  pretending  title  of 
deference  to  knowledge  and  taste,  but  which,  in 
truth,  possesses  some  such  share  of  true  modesty 
and  diffidence,  as  the  footman  is  apt  to  exhibit 
when  exulting  in  the  renown  of  his  master. 

This  little  digression  has  induced  us  momentarily 
to  overlook  the  incidents  of  the  tale.  Few  who 
possess  the  means,  venture  into  the  stormy  regions 
of  the  upper  Alps,  at  the  late  season  in  which  the 
present  party  reached  the  hamlet  of  Martigny, 
without  seeking  the  care  of  one  or  more  suitable 
guides.  The  services  of  these  men  are  useful  in  a 
variety  of  ways,  but  in  none  more  than  in  offering 
the  advice  which  long  familiarity  with  the  signs 
of  the  heavens,  the  temperature  of  the  air,  and  the 
direction  of  the  winds,  enables  them  to  give.  The 
Baron  de  Willading,  and  his  friend,  immediately 
dispatched  a  messenger  for  a  mountaineer,  of  the 
name  of  Pierre  Dumont,  who  enjoyed  a  fair  name 
for  fidelity,  and  who  was  believed  to  be  better  ac 
quainted  with  all  the  difficulties  of  the  ascent  and 
descent,  than  any  other  who  journeyed  among  the 
glens  of  that  part  of  the  Alps.  At  the  present  day, 
when  hundreds  ascend  to  the  convent  from  curiosi 
ty  alone,  every  peasant  of  sufficient  strength  and 
intelligence  becomes  a  guide,  and  the  little  com 
munity  of  the  lower  Valais  finds  the  transit  of  the 
idle  and  rich  such  a  fruitful  source  of  revenue, 
2D  2 


342  THE    HEADSMAN. 

Jiat  it  has  been  induced  to  regulate  the  whole  by 
very  useful  and  just  ordinances;  but  at  the  period 
of  the  tale,  this  Pierre  was  the  only  individual, 
who,  by  fortunate  concurrences,  had  obtained  a 
name  among  affluent  foreigners,  and  who  was  at 
all  in  demand  with  that  class  of  travellers.  He 
was  not  long  in  presenting  himself  in  the  public 
room  of  the  inn — a  hale,  florid,  muscular  man  of 
sixty,  with  every  appearance  of  permanent  health 
and  vigor,  but  with  a  slight  and  nearly  imper 
ceptible  difficulty  of  breathing. 

"  Thou  art  Pierre  Dumont  ?"  observed  the  bar 
on,  studying  the  open  physiognomy  and  well-set 
frame  of  the  Valaisan,  with  satisfaction.  "  Thou 
hast  been  mentioned  by  more  than  one  traveller  in 
his  book." 

The  stout  mountaineer  raised  himself  in  pride, 
and  endeavored  to  acknowledge  the  compliment  in 
the  manner  of  his  well-meant  but  rude  courtesy ; 
for  refinement  did  riot  then  extend  its  finesse  and 
its  deceit  among  the  glens  of  Switzerland. 

"  They  have  done  me  honor,  Monsieur,"  he  said : 
"  it  has  been  my  good  fortune  to  cross  the  Col  with 
many  brave  gentlemen  and  fair  ladies — and  in  two 
instances  with  princes."  (Though  a  sturdy  re 
publican,  Pierre  was  not  insensible  to  worldly 
rank.)  "  The  pious  monks  know  me  well ;  and 
they  who  enter  the  convent  are  not  the  worse  re 
ceived  for  being  my  companions.  I  shall  be  glad 
to  lead  so  fair  a  party  from  our  cold  valley  into 
the  sunny  glens  of  Italy,  for,  if  the  truth  must  be 
spoken,  nature  has  placed  us  on  the  wrong  side  of 
the  mountain  for  our  comfort,  though  we  have  our 
advantage  over  those  who  live  even  in  Turin  and 
Milan,  in  matters  of  greater  importance." 

"  What  can  be  the  superiority  of  a  Valaisan, 
over  the  Lombard,  or  the  Piedmontese  ?"  demand 
ed  the  Signor  Grimaldi  quickly,  like  a  man  who 


THE    HEADSMAN.  343 

was  curious  to  hear  the  reply.  "  A  traveller 
should  seek  all  kind  of  knowledge,  and  I  take  this 
to  be  a  newly-discovered  fact." 

"  Liberty,  Signore  !  We  are  our  own  masters; 
we  have  been  so  since  the  day  when  our  fathers 
sacked  the  castles  of  the  barons,  and  compelled 
their  tyrants  to  become  their  equals.  I  think  of 
this  each  time  I  reach  the  warm  plains  of  Italy, 
and  return  to  my  cottage  a  more  contented  man, 
for  the  reflection." 

"  Spoken  like  a  Swiss,  though  it  is  uttered  by 
an  ally  of  the  cantons  !"  cried  Melchior  de  Willad- 
ing,  heartily.  "  This  is  the  spirit,  Gaetano,  which 
sustains  our  mountaineers,  and  renders  them  more 
happy  amid  their  frosts  and  rocks,  than  thy  Ge 
noese  on  his  warm  and  glowing  bay." 

•'  The  word  liberty,  Melchior,  is  more  used  than 
understood,  and  as  much  abused  as  used ;"  return 
ed  the  Signor  Grimaldi  gravely.  "  A  country 
on  which  God  hath  laid  his  finger  in  displeasure  as 
on  this,  needs  have  some  such  consolation  as  the 
phantom  with  which  the  honest  Pierre  appears  to 
be  so  well  satisfied. — But,  Signor  guide,  have  many 
travellers  tried  the  passage  of  late,  and  what  dost 
thou  think  of  our  prospects  in  making  the  attempt  ? 
We  hear  gloomy  tales,  sometimes,  of  thy  alpine 
paths  in  that  Italy  thou  hold'st  so  cheap." 

"  Your  pardon,  noble  Signore,  if  the  frankness 
of  a  mountaineer  has  carried  me  too  far.  I  do  not 
undervalue  your  Piedmont,  because  I  love  our 
Valais  more.  A  country  may  be  excellent,  even 
though  another  should  be  better.  As  for  the  trav 
ellers,  none  of  note  have  gone  up  the  Col  of  late, 
though  there  have  been  the  usual  number  of  vaga 
bonds  and  adventurers.  The  savor  of  the  con 
vent  kitchen  will  reach  the  noses  of  these  knaves 
here  in  the  valley,  though  we  have  a  long  twelve 


344  THE    HEADSMAN. 

'eagues  to  journey   in  getting  from  one  to  the 
other." 

The  Signor  Grimaldi  waited  until  Adelheid  and 
Christine,  who  were  preparing  to  retire  for  the 
night,  were  out  of  hearing,  and  he  resumed  hi 
questions. 

"Thou  hast  not  spoken  of  the  weather?" 

"  We  are  in  one  of  the  most  uncertain  and 
treacherous  months  of  the  good  season,  Messieurs. 
The  winter  is  gathering  among  the  upper  Alps,  and 
in  a  month  in  which  the  frosts  are  flying  about  like 
uneasy  birds  that  do  not  know  where  to  alight,  one 
can  hardly  say  whether  he  hath  need  of  his  cloak 
or  not." 

"  San  Francesco !  Dost  think  I  am  dallying 
with  thee,  friend,  about  a  thickness  more  or  less  of 
cloth!  I  am  hinting  at  avalanches  and  falling 
rocks — at  whirlwinds  and  tempests !" 

Pierre  laughed  and  shook  his  head,  though  he 
answered  vaguely  as  became  his  business. 

"These  are  Italian  opinions  of  our  hills,  Sig- 
nore,"  he  said ;  "  they  savor  of  the  imagination. 
Our  pass  is  not  as  often  troubled  with  the  avalanche 
as  some  that  are  known,  even  in  the  melting  snows, 
Had  you  looked  at  the  peaks  from  the  lake,  you 
would  have  seen  that,  the  hoary  glaciers  excepted, 
they  are  still  all  brown  and  naked.  The  snow 
must  fall  from  the  heavens  before  it  can  fall  in  the 
avalanche,  and  we  are  yet,  I  think,  a  few  days 
from  the  true  winter." 

"  Thy  calculations  are  made  with  nicety,  friend," 
returned  the  Genoese,  not  sorry,  however,  to  hear 
the  guide  speak  with  so  much  apparent  confidence 
of  the  weather,  "and  we  are  obliged  to  thee  in 
proportion.  What  of  the  travellers  thou  hast 
named  ?  Are  there  brigands  on  our  path  ?" 

"  Such  rogues  have  been  known  to  infest  the 
place,  but,  in  general,  there  is  too  little  to  be  gain- 


THE    HEADSMAN.  345 

ed  for  the  risk.  Your  rich  traveller  is  not  an  everv 
day  sight  among  our  rocks;  and  you  well  know 
Signore,  that  there  may  be  too  few,  as  well  as  too 
many,  on  a  path,  for  your  freebooter." 

The  Italian  was  distrustful  by  habit  on  all  such 
subjects,  and  he  threw  a  quick  suspicious  glance 
at  the  guide.  But  the  frank  open  countenance 
of  Pierre  removed  all  doubt  of  his  honesty,  to 
say  nothing  of  the  effect  of  a  well-established 
reputation. 

"  But  thou  hast  spoken  of  certain  vagabonds 
who  have  preceded  us  ?" 

"In  that  particular,  matters  might  be  better;" 
answered  the  plain-minded  mountaineer,  dropping 
his  head  in  an  attitude  of  meditation  so  naturally 
expressed  as  to  give  additional  weight  to  his 
words.  "  Many  of  bad  appearance  have  certain 
ly  gone  up  to-day ;  such  as  a  Neapolitan  named 
Pippo,  who  is  anything  but  a  saint — a  certain  pil 
grim,  who  will  be  nearer  heaven  at  the  convent 
than  he  will  be  at  the  death — St  Pierre  pray  for 
me  if  I  do  the  man  injustice ! — and  one  or  two 
more  of  the  same  brood.  There  is  another  that 
hath  gone  up  also,  post  haste,  and  with  good  rea 
son  as  they  say,  for  he  hath  made  himself  the  but 
of  all  the  jokers  in  Vevey  on  account  of  some 
foolery  in  the  games  of  the  Abbaye — a  certain 
Jacques  Colis." 

The  name  was  repeated  by  several  near  the 
speaker. 

"  The  same,  Messieurs.  It  would  seem  that  the 
Sieur  Colis  would  fain  take  a  maiden  to  wife  in 
the  public  sports,  and,  when  her  birth  came  to  b<= 
be  known,  that  his  bride  was  no  other  than  th 
child  of  Balthazar,  the  common  headsman  of 
Berne  I" 

A  general  silence  betrayed  the  embarrassment 
of  most  of  the  listeners 


346  THE    HEADSMAN. 

"  And  that  tale  hath  already  reached  this  glen," 
said  Sigismund,  in  a  tone  so  deep  and  firm  as  to 
cause  Pierre  to  start,  while  the  two  old  nobles 
looked  in  another  direction,  feigning  not  to  observe 
what  was  passing. 

"  Rumor  hath  a  nimbler  foot  than  a  mule, 
young  officer ;"  answered  the  honest  guide.  "  The 
tale,  as  you  call  it,  will  have  travelled  across  the 
mountains  sooner  than  they  who  bore  it — though 
I  never  knew  how  such  a  miracle  could  pass — but 
so  it  is ;  report  goes  faster  than  the  tongue  that 
spreads  it,  and  if  there  be  a  little  untruth  to  help  it 
along,  the  wind  itself  is  scarcely  swifter.  Honest 
Jacques  Colis  has  bethought  him  to  get  the  start  of 
his  story,  but,  my  life  on  it,  though  he  is  active 
enough  in  getting  away  from  his  mockers,  that  he 
finds  it,  with  all  the  additions,  safely  housed  at  the 
inn  at  Turin  when  he  reaches  that  city  himself." 

" These,  then,  are  all?"  interrupted  the  Signor 
Grimaldi,  who  saw,  by  the  heaving  bosom  of  Si 
gismund,  that  it  was  time  in  mercy  to  interpose. 

"  Not  so,  Signore — there  is  still  another  and  one 
I  like  less  than  any.  A  countryman  of  your  own, 
who,  impudently  enough,  calls  himself  II  Male- 
detto." 

«  Maso !" 

"  The  very  same." 

"  Honest,  courageous  Maso,  and  his  noble  dog!" 

"  Signore,  you  describe  the  man  so  well  in  some 
thingsfthat  I  wonder  you  know  so  little  of  him  in 
others.  Maso  hath  not  his  equal  on  the  road  for 
activity  and  courage,  and  the  beast  is  second  only 
to  our  mastiffs  of  the  convent  for  the  same  quali 
ties  ;  but  when  you  speak  of  the  master's  honesty, 
you  speak  of  that  for  which  the  world  gives  him 
little  credit,  and  do  great  disparagement  to  the 
brute,  which  is  much  the  best  of  the  two,  in  this 
respect.' 


THE    HEADSMAN.  347 

"  This  may  be  true  enough,"  rejoined  the  Sig 
nore  Grimaldi,  turning  anxiously  towards  his  com 
panions : — "  man  is  a  strange  compound  of  good 
and  evil ;  his  acts  when  left  to  natural  impulses  are 
so  different  from  what  they  become  on  calculation 
that  one  can  scarcely  answer  for  a  man  of 
Maso's  temperament.  We  know  him  to  be  a  most 
efficient  friend,  and  such  a  man  would  be  apt  to 
make  a  very  dangerous  enemy !  His  qualities 
were  not  given  to  him  by  halves.  And  yet  we 
have  a  strong  circumstance  in  our  favor ;  for  he 
who  hath  once  done  the  least  service  to  a  fellow- 
creature  feels  a  sort  of  paternity  in  him  he  hath 
saved,  and  would  be  little  likely  to  rob  himself  of 
the  pleasure  of  knowing,  that  there  are  some  of 
his  kind  who  owe  him  a  grateful  recollection." 

This  remark  was  answered  by  Melchior  de  Wil- 
lading  in  the  same  spirit,  and  the  guide,  perceiving 
he  was  no  longer  wanted,  withdrew. 

Soon  after,  the  travellers  retired  to  rest. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

As  yet  the  trembling  year  is  unconfirm'd, 
And  winter  oft,  at  eve,  resumes  the  breeze, 
Chills  the  pale  morn,  and  bids  his  driving  sleets 

Deform  the  day  delightful : 

THOMSON. 

THE  horn  of  Pierre  Dumont  was  blowing  be- 
eath  the  windows  of  the  inn  of  Martigny,  with  the 
peep  of  dawn.  Then  followed  the  appearance  of 
drowsy  domestics,  the  saddling  of  unwilling  mules, 
and  the  loading  of  baggage.  A  few  minutes  later 
the  little  caravan  was  assembled,  for  the  caval 


348  THE    HEADSMAJT. 

cade  almost  deserved  this  name,  and  the  whole 
were  in  motion  for  the  summits  of  the  Alps. 

The  travellers  now  left  the  valley  of  the  Rhone 
to  bury  themselves  amid  those  piles  of  misty  and 
confused  mountains,  which  formed  the  back-ground 
of  the  picture  they  had  studied  from  the  castle  of 
Blonay  and  the  sheet  of  the  Leman.  They  soon 
plunged  into  a  glen,  and,  following  the  windings 
of  a  brawling  torrent,  were  led  gradually,  and  by 
many  turnings,  into  a  country  of  bleak  upland  pas 
turage,  where  the  inhabitants  gained  a  scanty  live 
lihood,  principally  by  means  of  their  dairies. 

A  few  leagues  above  Martigny,  the  paths  again 
separated,  one  inclining  to  the  left  towards  the 
elevated  valley  that  has  since  become  so  celebra 
ted  in  the  legends  of  this  wild  region,  by  the  for 
mation  of  a  little  lake  in  its  glacier,  which,  be 
coming  too  heavy  for  its  foundation,  broke  through 
its  barrier  of  ice,  and  descended  in  a  mountain  of 
water  to  the  Rhone,  a  distance  of  many  leagues, 
sweeping  before  it  every  vestige  of  civilization 
that  crossed  its  course,  and  even  changing,  in 
many  places,  the  face  of  nature  itself.  Here  the 
glittering  peak  of  Velan  became  visible,  and,  though 
so  much  nearer  to  the  eye  than  when  viewed  from 
VeVey,  it  was  still  a  distant  shining  pile,  grand  in 
its  solitude  and  mystery,  on  which  the  sight  loved 
to  dwell,  as  it  studies  the  pure  and  spotless  edges 
of  some  sleepy  cloud. 

It  has  already  been  said,  that  the  ascent  of  the 
great  St.  Bernard,  with  the  exception  of  occasional 
hills  and  hollows,  is  nowhere  very  precipitous  but 
a*  the  point  at  which  the  last  rampart  of  rock  is 
to  be  overcome.  On  the  contrary,  the  path,  for 
leagues  at  a  time,  passes  along  tolerably  even  val 
leys,  though  of  necessity  the  general  direction  is 
upward,  and  for  most  of  the  distance  through  a 
country  that  admits  of  cultivation,  though  the  mea- 


THE   HEADSMAN.  349 

greness  of  the  soil,  and  the  shortness  of  the  sea 
sons,  render  but  an  indifferent  return  to  the  toil  of 
the  husbandman.  In  this  respect  it  differs  from 
most  of  the  other  Alpine  passes ;  but  if  it  wants 
the  variety,  wildness,  and  sublimity  of  the  Splugen, 
the  St.  Gothard,  the  Gemmi,  and  the  Simplon,  it  is 
still  an  ascent  on  a  magnificent  scale,  and  he  who 
journeys  on  its  path  is  raised,  as  it  were,  by  in 
sensible  degrees,  to  an  elevation  that  gradually 
changes  all  his  customary  associations  with  the 
things  of  the  lower  world. 

From  the  moment  of  quitting  the  inn  to  that  of 
the  first  halt,  Melchior  de  Willading  and  the  Sig- 
nor  Grimaldi  rode  in  company,  as  on  the  previous 
day.  These  old  friends  had  much  to  communicate 
in  confidential  discourse  which  the  presence  of 
Roger  de  Blonay,  and  the  importunities  of  the 
bailiff,  had  hitherto  prevented  them  from  freely 
saying.  Both  had  thought  maturely,  too,  on  the 
situation  of  Adelheid,  of  her  hopes,  and  of  her 
future  fortunes,  and  both  had  reasoned  much  as 
two  old  nobles  of  that  day,  who  were  not  without 
strong  sympathies  for  their  kind,  while  they  were 
too  practised  to  overlook  the  world  and  its  ties, 
would  be  likely  to  reason  on  an  affair  of  this  deli 
cate  nature. 

"  There  came  a  feeling  of  regret,  perhaps  I 
might  fairly  call  it  by  its  proper  name,  of  envy," 
observed  the  Genoese,  in  the  pursuance  of  the  sub 
ject  which  engrossed  most  of  their  time  and 
thougnts,  as  they  rode  slowly  along,  the  bridles 
dangling  from  the  necks  of  their  mules, — "  there 
came  a  feeling  of  regret,  when  I  first  saw  the  fair 
creature  that  calls  thee  father,  Melchior.  God  has 
dealt  mercifully  by  me,  in  respect  to  many  things 
that  make  men  happy ;  but  he  rendered  my  mar 
riage  accursed,  not  only  in  its  bud,  but  in  its  fruit. 
Thy  child  is  dutiful  and  loving,  all  that  a  father 
2  E 


350  THE    HEADSMAN. 

can  wish ;  and  yet  here  is  this  unusual  attachment 
come  to  embarrass,  if  not  to  defeat,  thy  fair  and 
just  hopes  for  her  welfare !  This  is  no  common 
affair,  that  a  few  threats  of  bolts  and  a  change 
of  scene  will  cure,  but  a  rooted  affection  that  is 
buc  too  firmly  based  on  esteem. — By  San  Frances 
co,  but  I  think,  at  times,  thou  wouldst  do  well  to 
permit  the  ceremony !" 

"  Should  it  be  our  fortune  to  meet  with  the  ab 
sconding  Jacques  Colis  at  Turin,  he  might  give 
us  different  counsel,"  answered  the  old  baron  drily. 

"That  is  a  dreadful  barrier  to  our  wishes!  Were 
the  boy  anything  but  a  headsman's  child !  I  do 
not  think  thou  couldst  object,  Melchior,  had  he 
merely  come  of  a  hind,  or  of  some  common  fol 
lower  of  thy  family  ?" 

"  It  were  far  better  that  he  should  have  come 
of  one  like  ourselves,  Gaetano.  I  reason  but  little 
on  the  dogmas  of  this  or  that  sect  in  politics ;  but 
I  feel  and  think,  in  this  affair,  as  the  parent  of  an 
only  child.  All  those  usages  and  opinions  in  which 
we  are  trained,  my  friend,  are  so  many  ingredients 
in  our  happiness,  let  them  be  silly  or  wise,  just  or 
oppressive ;  and  though  I  would  fain  do  that  which 
is  right  to  the  rest  of  mankind,  I  could  wrish  to 
begin  to  practise  innovation  with  any  other  than 
my  own  daughter.  Let  them  who  like  philosophy 
and  justice,  and  natural  rights,  so  well,  commence 
by  setting  us  the  example." 

"  Thou  hast  hit  the  stumbling-block  that  causes 
a  thousand  well-digested  plans  for  the  improvement 
of  the  world  to  fail,  honest  Melchior.  Could  we 
toil  with  others'  limbs,  sacrifice  with  others'  groans, 
and  pay  with  others'  means,  there  would  be  no  end 
to  our  industry,  our  disinterestedness,  or  our  liber 
ality — and  yet  it  were  a  thousand  pities  that  so 
sweet  a  girl  and  so  noble  a  youth  should  not  yoke !" 

"  'Twould  be  a  yoke  indeed,  for  a  daughter  of 


THE    HEADSMAN.  351 

the  house  of  Willading;"  returned  the  gravel 
father,  with  emphasis.  "  I  have  looked  at  this 
matter  in  every  face  that  becomes  me,  Gaetano, 
and  though  I  would  not  rudely  repulse  one  that 
hath  saved  my  life,  by  driving  him  from  my  com 
pany,  at  a  moment  when  even  strangers  consort 
for  mutual  aid  and  protection,  at  Turin  we  must 
part  for  ever !" 

"  I  know  not  how  to  approve,  nor  yet  how  to 
blame  thee,  poor  Melchior!  'Twas  a  sad  scene, 
that  of  the  refusal  to  wed  Balthazar's  daughter,  in 
the  presence  of  so  many  thousands !" 

"  I  take  it  as  a  happy  and  kind  warning  of  the 
precipice  to  which  a  foolish  tenderness  was  leading 
us  both,  my  friend." 

"  Thou  may'st  have  reason ;  and  yet  I  wish  thou 
wert  more  in  error  than  ever  Christian  was !  These 
are  rugged  mountains,  Melchior,  and,  fairly  passed, 
it  might  be  so  arranged  that  the  boy  should  forget 
Switzerland  for  ever.  He  might  become  a  Geno 
ese,  in  which  event,  dost  thou  not  see  the  means 
of  overcoming  some  of  the  present  difficulty  ?" 

"  Is  the  heiress  of  my  house  a  vagrant,  Signor 
Grimaldi,  to  forget  her  country  and  birth  ?" 

"  I  am  childless,  in  effect,  if  not  in  fact ;  and 
where  there  are  the  will  and  the  means,  the  end 
should  not  be  wanting.  We  will  speak  of  this 
under  the  warmer  sun  of  Italy,  which  they  say  is 
apt  to  render  hearts  tender." 

"  The  hearts  of  the  young  and  amorous,  good 
Gaetano,  but,  unless  much  changed  of  late,  it  is  as 
apt  to  harden  those  of  the  old,  as  any  sun  I  know 
of;"  returned  the  baron,  shaking  his  head,  though 
it  much  exceeded  his  power  to  smile  at  his  own 
pleasantry  when  speaking  on  this  painful  subject. 
"  Thou  knowest  that  in  this  matter  I  act  only  for 
the  welfare  of  Adelheid,  without  thought  of  myself: 
and  it  would  little  comport  with  the  honor  of  a 


352  THE    HEADSMAN. 

baron  of  an  ancient  house,  to  be  the  grandfather 
of  children  who  come  of  a  race  of  executioners." 

The  Signer  Grimaldi  succeeded  better  than  his 
friend  in  raising  a  smile,  for,  more  accustomed  to 
dive  into  the  depths  of  human  feeling,  he  was  not 
slow  in  detecting  the  mixture  of  motives  that  were 
silently  exercising  their  long-established  influence 
over  the  heart  of  his  really  well-intentioned  com 
panion. 

"  So  long  as  thou  speakest  of  the  wisdom  of 
respecting  men's  opinions,  and  the  danger  of 
wrecking  thy  daughter's  happiness  by  running 
counter  to  their  current,  I  agree  with  thee  to  the 
letter  ;  but,  to  me,  it  seems  possible  so  to  place  the 
affair,  that  the  world  shall  imagine  all  is  in  rule, 
and,  by  consequence,  all  proper.  If  we  can  over 
come  ourselves,  Melchior,  I  apprehend  no  great 
difficulty  in  blinding  others." 

The  head  of  the  Bernois  dropped  upon  his 
breast,  and  he  rode  a  long  distance  in  that  attitude, 
reflecting  on  the  course  it  most  became  him  to 
pursue,  and  struggling  with  the  conflicting  senti 
ments  which  troubled  his  upright  but  prejudiced 
mind.  As  his  friend  understood  the  nature  of  this 
inward  strife,  he  ceased  to  speak,  and  a  long  silence 
succeeded  the  discourse. 

It  was  different  with  those  who  followed.  Though 
long  accustomed  to  gaze  at  their  native  mountains 
from  a  distance,  this  was  the  first  occasion  on  which 
Adelheid  and  her  companion  had  ever  actually 
penetrated  into  their  glens,  or  journeyed  on  their 
broken  and  changing  faces.  The  path  of  St. 
Bernard,  therefore,  had  all  the  charm  of  novelty, 
and  their  youthful  and  ardent  minds  were  soon 
won  from  meditating  on  their  own  causes  of  un- 
happiness,  to  admiration  of  the  sublime  works  of 
nature.  The  cultivated  taste  of  Adelheid,  in  par 
ticular,  was  quick  in  detecting  those  beauties  of  a 


THE    HEADSMAN.  353 

more  subtle  kind  which  the  less  instructed  are  ap 
to  overlook,  and  she  found  additional  pleasure  in 
pointing  them  out  to  the  ingenuous  and  wondering 
Christine,  who  received  these,  her  first,  lessons  in 
that  grand  communion  with  nature  which  is  preg 
nant  with  so  much  unalloyed  delight,  with  gratitude 
and  a  readiness  of  comprehension,  that  amply  re 
paid  her  instructress.  Sigismund  was  an  attentive 
and  pleased  listener  to  what  was  passing,  though 
one  who  had  so  often  passed  the  mountains,  and 
who  had  seen  them  familiarly  on  their  warmer  and 
more  sunny  side,  had  little  to  learn,  himself,  even 
from  so  skilful  and  alluring  a  teacher. 

As  they  ascended,  the  air  became  purer  and  less 
impregnated  with  the  humidity  of  its  lower  cur 
rents;  changing,  by  a  process  as  fine  as  that 
wrought  by  a  chemical  application,  the  hues  and 
aspect  of  every  object  in  the  view.  A  vast  hill 
side  lay  basking  in  the  sun,  which  illuminated  on 
its  rounded  swells  a  hundred  long  stripes  of  grain  in 
every  stage  of  verdure,  resembling  so  much  delicate 
velvet  that  was  thrown  in  a  variety  of  accidental 
faces  to  the  light,  while  the  shadows  ran  away,  to 
speak  technically,  from  this  foyer  de  lumiere  of  the 
picture,  in  gradations  of  dusky  russet  and  brown, 
until  the  colonne  de  vigueur  was  obtained  in  the  deep 
black  cast  from  the  overhanging  branches  of  a  wood 
of  larch  in  the  depths  of  some  ravine,  into  which  the 
sight  with  difficulty  penetrated.  These  were  the 
beauties  on  which  Adelheid  most  loved  to  dwell,  for 
they  are  always  the  charms  that  soonest  strike  the 
true  admirer  of  nature,  when  he  finds  himself  raised 
above  the  lower  and  less  purified  strata  of  the 
atmosphere,  into  the  regions  of  more  radiant  light 
and  brightness.  It  is  thus  that  the  physical,  no  less 
than  the  moral,  vision  becomes  elevated  above  the 
impurities  that  cling  to  this  nether  world,  attaining 
a  portion  of  that  spotless  and  sublime  perception 
2E  2 


354  THE    HEADSMAN. 

as  we  ascend,  by  which  we  are  nearly  assimilated 
to  the  truths  of  creation ;  a  poetical  type  of  the 
greater  and  purer  enjoyment  we  feel,  as  morally 
receding  from  earth  we  draw  nearer  to  heaven. 

The  party  rested  for  several  hours,  as  usual,  at 
the  little  mountain  hamlet  of  Liddes.  At  the  pres 
ent  time,  it  is  not  uncommon  for  the  traveller,  fa 
vored  by  a  wheel-track  along  this  portion  of  the 
route,  to  ascend  the  mountain  and  to  return  to 
Martigny  in  the  same  day.  The  descent  in  par 
ticular,  after  reaching  the  village  just  named,  is 
soon  made ;  but  at  the  period  of  our  tale,  such  an 
exploit,  if  ever  made,  was  of  very  rare  occurrence. 
The  fatigue  of  being  in  the  saddle  so  many  hours 
compelled  our  party  to  remain  at  the  inn  much 
longer  than  is  now  practised,  and  their  utmost 
hope  was  to  be  able  to  reach  the  convent  before 
the  last  rays  of  the  sun  had  ceased  to  light  the  glit 
tering  peak  of  Velan. 

There  occurred  here,  too,  some  unexpected  de 
tention  on  the  part  of  Christine,  who  had  retired 
with  Sigismund  soon  after  reaching  the  inn,  and 
who  did  not  rejoin  the  party  until  the  impatience 
of  the  guide  had  more  than  once  manifested  itself 
in  such  complaints  as  one  in  his  situation  is  apt  to 
hazard.  Adelheid  saw  with  pain,  when  her  friend 
did  at  length  rejoin  them,  that  she  had  been  weep 
ing  bitterly ;  but,  too  delicate  to  press  her  for  an 
explanation  on  a  subject  in  which  it  was  evident 
the  brother  and  sister  did  not  desire  to  bestow 
their  confidence,  she  communicated  her  readiness 
to  depart  to  the  domestics,  without  the  slightest 
allusion  to  the  change  in  Christine's  appearance, 
or  to  the  unexpected  delay  of  which  she  had  been 
the  cause. 

Pierre  muttered  an  ave  in  thankfulness  that  the 
long  halt  was  ended.  He  then  crossed  himself  with 
.me  hand,  whilo  with  the  other  he  nourished  his 


THE    HEADSMAN.  355 

whip,  among  a  crowd  of  gaping  urchins  and  slaver 
ing  cretins,  to  clear  the  way  for  those  he  guided. 
His  followers  were,  in  the  main  of  a  different 
mood.  If  the  traveller  too  often  reaches  the  inn 
hungry  and  disposed  to  find  fault,  he  usually  quits 
it  good-humored  and  happy.  The  restoration,  as 
it  is  well  called  in  France,  effected  by  means  of 
the  larder  and  the  resting  of  wearied  limbs,  is 
usually  communicated  to  the  spirits ;  and  it  must 
be  a  crusty  humor  indeed,  or  singularly  bad  fare, 
that  prevents  a  return  to  a  placid  state  of  mind. 
The  party,  under  the  direction  of  Pierre,  formed 
no  exception  to  the  general  rule.  The  two  old 
nobles  had  so  far  forgotten  the  subject  of  their 
morning  dialogue,  as  to  be  facetious;  and,  ere  long, 
even  their  gentle  companions  were  disposed  to 
laugh  at  some  of  their  sallies,  in  spite  of  the  load 
of  care  that  weighed  so  constantly  and  so  heavily 
on  both.  In  short,  such  is  the  waywardness  of 
our  feelings,  and  so  difficult  is  it  to  be  always  sor 
rowful  as  well  as  always  happy,  that  the  well-sat 
isfied  landlady,  who  had,  in  truth,  received  the  full 
value  of  a  very  indifferent  fare,  was  ready  to 
affirm,  as  she  curtsied  her  thanks  on  the  dirty 
threshold,  that  a  merrier  party  had  never  left  her 
door. 

"  We  shall  take  our  revenge  out  of  the  casks  of 
the  good  Augustines  to-night  for  the  sour  liquor  of 
this  inn;  is  it  not  so,  honest  Pierre?"  demanded 
the  Signor  Grimaldi,  adjusting  himself  in  the  sad 
dle,  as  they  got  clear  of  the  stones,  sinuosities,  pro 
jecting  roofs,  and  filth  of  the  village,  into  the  more 
agreeable  windings  of  the  ordinary  path,  again. 
"  Our  friend,  the  clavier,  is  apprized  of  the  visit, 
and  as  we  have  already  gone  through  fair  and  foul 
in  company,  I  look  to  his  fellowship  for  some  com 
pensation  for  the  frugal  meal  of  which  we  have 
just  partaken." 


356  THE    HEADSMAN. 

"Father  Xavier  is  a  hospitable  and  a  happy- 
•ninded  priest,  Signore;  and  that  the  saints  will 
long  leave  him  keeper  of  the  convent-keys,  is  the 
prayer  of  every  muleteer,  guide,  or  pilgrim,  who 
crosses  the  col.  I  wish  we  were  going  up  the 
rough  steps,  by  which  we  are  to  climb  the  last 
rock  of  the  mountain,  at  this  very  moment,  Mes 
sieurs,  and  that  all  the  rest  of  the  way  were  as 
fairly  done  as  this  we  have  so  happily  passed." 

"*Dost  thou  anticipate  difficulty,  friend?"  de 
manded  the  Italian,  leaning  forward  on  his  saddle 
bow,  for  his  quick  observation  had  caught  the  ex 
amining  glance  that  the  guide  threw  around  at  the 
heavens. 

"  Difficulty  is  a  meaning  not  easily  admitted  by 
a  mountaineer,  Signore;  and  I  am  one  of  the  last 
to  think  of  it,  or  to  feel  its  dread.  Still,  we  are 
near  the  end  of  the  season,  and  these  hills  are  high 
and  bleak,  and  those  that  follow  are  delicate  flow 
ers  for  a  stormy  heath.  Toil  is  always  sweeter 
in  the  remembrance  than  in  the  expectation. — I 
mean  no  more,  if  1  mean  that." 

Pierre  stopped  his  march  as  he  ceased  speaking. 
He  stood  on  a  little  eminence  of  the  path,  whence, 
by  looking  back,  he  commanded  a  view  of  the 
opening  among  the  mountains  which  indicates  the 
site  of  the  valley  of  the  Rhone.  The  look  was 
long  and  understanding ;  but,  when  it  was  ended, 
he  turned  and  resumed  his  march  with  the  busi 
ness-like  air  of  one  more  disposed  to  act  than  to 
speculate  on  the  future.  But  for  the  few  words 
which  had  just  escaped  him,  this  natural  move 
ment  would  have  attracted  no  attention ;  and,  as 
it  was,  it  was  observed  by  none  but  the  Signor 
Grimaldi,  who  would  himself  have  attached  little 
importance  to  the  whole,  had  the  guide  maintained 
his  usual  pace. 

As  is  common  in  the  Alps,   the  conductor  of 


THE    HEADSMAN.  357 

the  travellers  went  on  foot,  leading  the  whole  party 
at  such  a  gait  as  he  thought  most  expedient  foi 
man  and  beast.  Hitherto,  Pierre  had  proceeded 
with  sufficient  leisure,  rendering  it  necessary  for 
those  who  followed  to  observe  the  same  modera 
tion  ;  but  he  now  walked  sensibly  faster,  and  fre 
quently  so  fast  as  to  make  it  necessary  for  the 
mules  to  break  into  easy  trots,  in  order  to  main 
tain  their  proper  stations.  All  this,  however,  was 
ascribed  by  most  of  the  party  to  the  formation  of 
the  ground,  for,  after  leaving  Liddes,  there  is  a  long 
reach  of  what,  among  the  upper  valleys  of  the 
Alps,  may  by  comparison  be  called  a  level  road. 
This  industry,  too,  was  thought  to  be  doubly  ne 
cessary,  in  order  to  repair  the  time  lost  at  the  inn, 
for  the  sun  wras  already  dipping  towards  the  west 
ern  boundary  of  their  narrow  view  of  the  heavens, 
and  the  temperature  announced,  if  not  a  sudden 
change  in  the  weather,  at  least  the  near  approach 
of  the  periodical  turn  of  the  day. 

"  We  travel  by  a  very  ancient  path ;"  observed 
the  Signore  Grimaldi,  when  his  thoughts  had  re 
verted  from  their  reflections  on  the  movements  of 
the  guide  to  the  circumstance  of  their  present  sit 
uation.  "  A  very  reverend  path,  it  might  be  term 
ed  in  compliment  to  the  worthy  monks  who  do  so 
much  to  lessen  its  dangers,  and  to  its  great  anti 
quity.  History  speaks  often  of  its  use  by  different 
leaders  of  armies,  for  it  has  long  been  a  thorough 
fare  for  those  who  journey  between  the  north  and 
the  south,  whether  it  be  in  strife,  or  in  amity.  In 
the  time  of  Augustus  it  was  the  route  commonly 
used  by  the  Roman  legions  in  their  passages  to 
and  from  Helvetia  and  Gaul;  the  followers  of 
Caecinna  went  by  these  gorges  to  their  attack  upon 
Otho ;  and  the  Lombards  made  the  same  use  of  it,  five 
hundred  years  later.  It  was  often  trod  by  armed 
bands,  in  the  wars  of  Charles  of  Burgundy,  those  of 


358 


THE    HEADSMAN. 


Milan,  and  in  the  conquests  of  Charlemagne.  I  re 
member  a  tale,  in  which  it  is  said  that  a  horde  of  in 
fidel  Corsairs  from  the  Mediterranean  penetrated  by 
this  road,  and  seized  upon  the  bridge  of  St.  Maurice 
with  a  view  to  plunder.  As  we  are  not  the  first 
so  it  is  probable  that  we  are  not  to  be  the  last,  who 
have  trusted  themselves  in  these  regions  of  the 
upper  air,  bent  on  our  objects,  whether  of  love  or 
of  strife." 

"  Signore,"  observed  Pierre  respectfully,  when 
the  Genoese  ceased  speaking,  "  if  your  eccellenza 
would  make  your  discourse  less  learned,  and  more 
in  those  familiar  words  which  can  be  said  under 
a  brisk  movement,  it  might  better  suit  the  time  and 
the  great  necessity  there  is  to  be  diligent." 

"  Dost  thou  apprehend  danger  ?  Are  we  be 
hind  our  time? — Speak;  for  I  dislike  conceal 
ment." 

"  Danger  has  a  strong  meaning  in  the  mouth  of 
a  mountaineer,  Signore ;  for  what  is  security  on 
this  path,  might  be  thought  alarming  lower  down 
in  the  valleys  ;  I  say  it  not.  But  the  sun  is  touch 
ing  the  rocks,  as  you  see,  and  we  are  drawing 
near  to  places  where  a  miss-step  of  a  mule  in  the 
dark  might  cost  us  dear.  I  would  that  all  dili 
gently  improve  the  daylight,  while  they  can." 

The  Genoese  did  not  answer,  but  he  urged  his 
mule  again  to  a  gait  that  was  more  in  accordance 
with  the  wishes  of  Pierre.  The  movement  was 
followed,  as  a  matter  of  course,  by  the  rest ;  and  the 
whole  party  was  once  more  in  a  gentle  trot,  which 
was  scarcely  sufficient,  however,  to  keep  even  pace 
with  the  long,  impatient,  and  rapid  strides  of  Pierre, 
who,  notwithstanding  his  years,  appeared  to  get  o  vei 
the  ground  with  a  facility  that  cost  him  no  effort. 
Hitherto,  the  heat  had  not  been  small,  and,  in  that 
pure  atmosphere,  all  its  powers  wrere  felt  during 
the  time  the  sun's  rays  fell  into  the  valley;  but,  the 


THE    HEADSMAN.  359 

instant  they  were  intercepted  by  a  brown  and  en 
vious  peak  of  the  mountains,  their  genial  influence 
was  succeeded  by  a  chill  that  sufficiently  proved 
how  necessary  was  the  presence  of  the  luminary 
to  the  comfort  of  those  who  dwelt  at  that  grea 
elevation.  The  females  sought  their  mantles  the 
moment  the  bright  light  was  followed  by  the  usua 
shadow;  nor  was  it  long  before  even  the  more 
aged  of  the  gentlemen  were  seen  unstrapping  their 
cloaks,  and  taking  the  customary  precautions 
against  the  effects  of  the  evening  air. 

The  reader  is  not  to  suppose,  however,  that  all 
these  little  incidents  of  the  way  occurred  in  a  time 
as  brief  as  that  which  has  been  consumed  in  the 
narration.  A  long  line  of  path  was  travelled  over 
before  the  Signor  Grimaldi  and  his  friend  were 
cloaked,  and  divers  hamlets  and  cabins  were  succes 
sively  passed.  The  alteration  from  the  warmth  of 
day  to  the  chill  of  evening  also  was  accompanied 
by  a  corresponding  change  in  the  appearance  of 
the  objects  they  passed.  St.  Pierre,  a  cluster  of 
stone-roofed  cottages,  which  bore  all  the  charac 
teristics  of  the  inhospitable  region  for  which  they 
had  been  constructed,  was  the  last  village ;  though 
there  was  a  hamlet,  at  the  bridge  of  Hudri,  com 
posed  of  a  few  dreary  abodes,  which,  by  their 
aspect,  seemed  the  connecting  link  between  the 
dwellings  of  man  and  the  caverns  of  beasts.  Ve 
getation  had  long  been  growing  more  and  more 
meagre,  and  it  was  now  fast  melting  away  into  still 
deeper  and  irretrievable  traces  of  sterility,  like  the 
shadows  of  a  picture  passing  through  their  several 
transitions  of  color  to  the  depth  of  the  back 
ground.  The  larches  and  cedars  diminished  grad 
ually  in  size  and  numbers,  until  the  straggling  and 
stinted  tree  became  a  bush,  and  the  latter  finally 
disappeared  in  the  shape  of  a  tuft  of  pale  green, 
that  adhered  to  some  crevice  in  the  rocks  like  so 


360  THE   HEADSMAN. 

much  moss.  Even  the  mountain  grasses,  for 
which  Switzerland  is  so  justly  celebrated,  grew 
thin  and  wiry;  and  by  the  time  the  travellers 
reached  the  circular  basin  at  the  foot  of  the  peak 
of  Y elan,  which  is  called  La  Plaine  de  Prou,  there 
only  remained,  in  the  most  genial  season  of  the 
year,  and  that  in  isolated  spots  between  the  rocks, 
a  sufficiency  of  nourishment  for  the  support  of  a 
small  flock  of  adventurous,  nibbling,  and  hungry 
goats, 

The  basin  just  alluded  to  is  an  opening  among 
high  pinnacles,  and  is  nearly  surrounded  by  naked 
and  ragged  rocks.  The  path  led  through  its  cen 
tre,  always  ascending  on  an  inclined  plane,  and 
disappeared  through  a  narrow  gorge  around  the 
brow  of  a  beetling  cliff.  Pierre  pointed  out  the 
latter  as  the  pass  by  far  the  most  dangerous  on 
this  side  the  Col,  in  the  season  of  the  melting  snows, 
avalanches  frequently  rolling  from  its  crags. 
There  was  no  cause  for  apprehending  this  well- 
known  Alpine  danger,  however,  in  the  present 
moment;  for,  with  the  exception  of  Mont-Velan, 
all  above  and  around  them  lay  in  the  same  drear} 
dress  of  sterility.  Indeed,  it  would  not  be  easy  fo. 
the  imagination  to  conceive  a  more  eloquent  pic 
ture  of  desolation  than  that  which  met  the  eyes  of 
the  travellers,  as,  following  the  course  of  the  run 
of  water  that  trickled  through  the  middle  of  the 
inhospitable  valley,  the  certain  indication  of  the 
general  direction  of  their  course,  they  reached  its 
centre. 

The  time  was  getting  to  be  that  of  early  twi 
light,  but  the  sombre  color  of  the  rocks,  streaked 
and  venerable  by  the  ferruginous  hue  with  which 
time  had  coated  their  sides,  arid  the  depth  of  the 
basin,  gave  to  their  situation  a  melancholy  gloom 
passing  the  duskiness  of  the  hour.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  light  rested  bright  and  gloriously  on  the 


THE    HEADSMAff.  361 

snowy  peak  of  Ve*lan,  still  many  thousand  feet 
above  them,  though  in  plain,  and  apparently,  in 
near  view ;  while  rich  touches  of  the  setting  sun 
were  gleaming  on  several  of  the  brown,  natural 
battlements  of  the  Alps,  which,  worn  with  eternal 
exposure  to  the  storms,  still  lay  in  sublime  confu 
sion  at  a  most  painful  elevation  in  their  front. 
The  azure  vault  that  canopied  all,  had  that  look  of 
distant  glory  and  of  grand  repose,  which  so  often 
meets  the  eye,  and  so  forcibly  strikes  the  mind,  of 
him  who  travels  in  the  deep  valleys  and  embedded 
lakes  of  Switzerland.  The  glacier  of  Valsorey 
descended  from  the  upper  region  nearly  to  the 
edge  of  the  valley,  bright  and  shining,  its  lower 
margin  streaked  and  dirty  with  the  debris  of  the 
overhanging  rocks,  as  if  doomed  to  the  fate  of  all 
that  came  upon  the  earth,  that  of  sharing  its  im 
purities. 

There  no  longer  existed  any  human  habitation 
between  the  point  which  the  travellers  had  now 
attained  and  the  convent,  though  more  modern 
speculation,  in  this  age  of  curiosity  and  restless 
ness,  has  been  induced  to  rear  a  substitute  for  an 
inn  in  the  spot  just  described,  with  the  hope  of 
gleaning  a  scanty  tribute  from  those  who  fail  of 
arriving  in  season  to  share  the  hospitality  of  the 
monks.  The  chilliness  of  the  air  increased  faster 
even  than  the  natural  change  of  the  hour  would 
seem  to  justify,  and  there  were  moments  when  the 
dull  sound  of  the  wind  descended  to  their  ears, 
though  not  a  breath  was  stirring  a  withered  and 
nearly  solitary  blade  of  grass  at  their  feet.  Once 
or  twice,  large  black  clouds  drove  across  the  open 
ing  above  them,  resembling  heavy-winged  vultures 
sailing  in  the  void,  preparatory  to  a  swoop  upon 
their  prey. 

2F 


362  THE    HEADSMAN. 

look  bflcauorft  VfTjrrn  Ife  ,rrdsV 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Threugh  this  gap 

On  and  say  nothing,  lest  a  word,  a  breath, 
Bring  down  a  winter's  snow,  enough  to  whelm 
The  armed  files  that,  night  and  day,  were  seen 
Winding  from  cliff  to  cliff  in  loose  array, 
To  conquer  at  Marengo.  Italy. 

PIERRE  DUMONT  halted  in  the  middle  of  the  ster 
le  little  plain,  while  he  signed  for  those  he  con 
ducted  to  continue  their  ascent.  As  each  mule 
passed,  it  received  a  blow  or  a  kick  from  the  impa 
tient  guide,  who  did  not  seem  to  think  it  necessary 
to  be  very  ceremonious  with  the  poor  beasts,  and 
had  taken  this  simple  method  to  give  a  general 
and  a  brisker  impulsion  to  the  party.  The  expe 
dient  was  so  natural,  and  so  much  in  accordance 
with  the  practice  of  the  muleteers  and  others  of 
their  class,  that  it  excited  no  suspicion  in  most  of 
the  travellers,  who  pursued  their  way,  either  medi 
tating  on  and  enjoying  the  novel  and  profound 
emotions  that  their  present  situation  so  naturally 
awakened,  or  discoursing  lightly,  in  the  manner  of 
the  thoughtless  and  unconcerned.  The  Signor 
Grimaldi  alone,  whose  watchfulness  had  already 
been  quickened  by  previous  distrust,  took  heed  of 
the  movement.  When  all  had  passed,  the  Genoese 
turned  in  his  saddle,  and  cast  an  apparently  care 
less  look  behind.  But  the  glance  in  truth  was  anx 
ious  and  keen.  Pierre  stood  looking  steadily  at 
the  heavens,  one  hand  holding  his  hat,  and  the 
other  extended  with  an  open  palm.  A  glittering 
particle  descended  to  the  latter,  when  the  guide  in 
stantly  resumed  his  place  in  advance.  As  he  pass 
ed  the  Italian,  however,  meeting  an  inquiring  look, 
he  permitted  the  other  to  see  a  snow-drop  so  tho- 


THE   HEADSMAN.  363 

roughly  congealed,  as  to  have  not  yet  melted  with 
the  natural  heat  of  his  skin.  The  eye  of  Pierre 
appeared  to  impose  discretion  on  his  confidant,  and 
the  silent  communion  escaped  the  observation  of 
the  rest  of  the  travellers.  Just  at  this  moment, 
too,  the  attention  of  the  others  was  luckily  called 
to  a  different  object,  by  a  cry  from  one  of  the 
muleteers,  of  whom  there  were  three  as  assistants 
to  the  guide.  He  pointed  out  a  party  which,  like 
themselves,  was  holding  the  direction  of  the  Col. 
There  was  a  solitary  individual  mounted  on  a 
mule,  and  a  single  pedestrian,  without  any  guide, 
or  other  traveller,  in  their  company.  Their  move 
ments  were  swift,  and  they  had  not  been  more  than 
a  minute  in  view,  before  they  disappeared  behind 
an  angle  of  the  crags  which  nearly  closed  the  val 
ley  on  the  side  of  the  convent,  and  which  was  the 
precise  spot  already  mentioned  as  being  so  danger 
ous  in  the  season  of  the  melting  snows. 

"  Dost  thou  know  the  quality  and  object  of  the 
travellers  before  us?"  demanded  the  Baron  de 
Willading  of  Pierre. 

The  latter  mused.  It  was  evident  he  did  not 
expect  to  meet  with  strangers  in  that  particular 
part  of  the  passage. 

"  We  can  know  little  of  those  who  come  from 
the  convent,  though  few  would  be  apt  to  leave  so 
safe  a  roof  at  this  late  hour/'  he  answered ;  "  but, 
until  I  saw  yonder  travellers  with  my  own  eyes,  I 
could  have  sworn  there  were  none  on  this  side  of 
the  Col  going  the  same  way  as  ourselves  ?  It  is 
time  that  all  the  others  were  already  arrived." 

"  They  are  villagers  of  St.  Pierre,  going  up  with 
supplies ;"  observed  one  of  the  muleteers.  "  None 
bound  to  Italy  have  passed  Liddes  since  the  party 
of  Pippo,  and  they  by  this  time  should  be  well 
housed  at  the  hospice.  Didst  not  see  a  dog  among 
them? — 'twas  one  of  the  Augustines'  mastiffs." 


364  THE    HEADSMAN. 

"  'T  was  the  dog  I  noted,  and  it  was  on  account 
of  his  appearance  that  I  spoke ;"  returned  the  bar 
on.  "  The  animal  had  the  air  of  an  old  acquaint 
ance,  Gaetano,  for  to  me  it  seemed  to  resemble 
our  tried  friend  Nettuno ;  and  he  at  whose  heels  it 
kept  so  close  wore  much  the  air  of  our  acquaint 
ance  of  the  Leman,  the  bold  and  ready  Maso." 

"  Who   has    gone    unrequited    for  his   eminent 
services !"   answered  the    Genoese,   thoughtfully 
"  The  extraordinary  refusal  of  that  man  to  re 
ceive  our  money  is  quite  as  wonderful  as  any  other 
part  of  his  unusual  and  inexplicable  conduct.     I 


would  he  had  been  less  obstinate  or  less  proud,  for 
the  unrequ 
my  spirits. 


P1 
the  unrequited  obligation   rests  like  a  load  upon 


Y  spirits." 

"Thou  art  wrong.  I  employed  our  young  friend 
Sigismund  secretly  on  this  duty,  while  we  were 
receiving  the  greetings  of  Roger  de  Blonay  and 
the  good  bailiff,  but  thy  countryman  treated  the 
escape  lightly,  as  the  mariner  is  apt  to  consider 
past  danger,  and  he  would  listen  to  no  offer  of  pro 
tection  or  gold.  I  was,  therefore  more  displeased 
than  surprised  by  what  thou  hast  well  enough 
termed  obstinacy." 

"  Tell  your  employers,  he  said,"  added  Sigis 
mund,  "  that  they  may  thank  the  saints,  Our  Lady, 
or  brother  Luther,  as  best  suits  their  habits,  but 
that  they  had  better  forget  that  such  a  man  as 
Maso  lives.  His  acquaintance  can  bring  them 
neither  honor  nor  advantage.  Tell  this  especially 
to  the  Signor  Grimaldi,  when  you  are  on  your 
journey  to  Italy,  and  we  have  parted  for  ever,  as 
on  my  suggestion.  This  was  said  to  me,  in  the 
interview  I  held  with  the  brave  fellow  after  his  lib 
eration  from  prison." 

"  The  answer  was  remarkable  for  a  man  of  his 
condition,  and  the  especial  message  to  myself  of 
singular  exception.  I  observed  that  his  eye  was 


THE   HEADSMAN.  365 

often  on  me,  with  peculiar  meaning,  during  the 
passage  of  the  lake,  and  to  this  hour  I  have  not 
been  able  to  explain  the  motive !" 

"  Is  the  Signore  of  Genoa  ?" — asked  the  guide : 
"  or  is  he,  by  chance,  in  any  way  connected  with 
her  authorities  ?" 

"Of  that  republic  and  city,  and  certainly  of 
some  little  interest  with  the  authorities ;"  answered 
the  Italian,  a  slight  smile  curling  his  lip,  as  he 
glanced  a  look  at  his  friend. 

"  It  is  not  necessary  to  look  farther  for  Maso's 
acquaintance  with  your  features,"  returned  Pierre, 
laughing ;  "  for  of  all  who  live  in  Italy,  there  is 
not  a  man  who  has  more  frequent  occasions  to 
know  the  authorities  ;  but  we  linger,  in  this  gossip. 
Urge  the  beasts  upwards,  Etienne  —  presto!  — 
presto  !" 

The  muleteers  answered  this  appeal  by  one  of 
their  long  cries,  which  has  a  resemblance  to  the 
rattling  that  is  the  well-known  signal  of  the  ven 
omous  serpent  of  this  country  when  he  would  ad 
monish  the  traveller  to  move  quickly,  and  which 
certainly  produces  the  same  startling  effect  on  the 
nerves  of  the  mule  as  the  signal  of  the  snake  is 
very  apt  to  excite  in  man.  This  interruption  caus 
ed  the  dialogue  to  be  dropped,  all  riding  onward, 
musing  in  their  several  fashions  on  what  had  just 
passed.  In  a  few  minutes  the  party  turned  the 
crag  in  question,  and,  quitting  the  valley,  or  sterile 
basin,  in  which  they  had  been  journeying  for  the 
last  half  hour,  they  entered  by  a  narrow  gorge  into 
a  scene  that  resembled  a  crude  collection  of  the 
materials  of  which  the  foundations  of  the  world 
had  been  originally  formed.  There  was  no  longer 
any  vegetation  at  all,  or,  if  here  and  there  a  blade 
of  grass  had  put  forth  under  the  shelter  of  some 
stone,  it  was  so  meagre,  and  of  so  rare  occurrence, 
as  to  be  unnoticed  in  that  sublime  scene  of  chaotic 
2F2 


366  THE    HEADSMAN. 

confusion.  Ferruginous,  streaked,  naked,  and 
cheerless  rocks  arose  around  them,  and  even  that 
snowy  beacon,  the  glowing  summit  of  Velan,  which 
had  so  long  lain  bright  and  cheering  on  their  path, 
was  now  hid  entirely  from  view.  Pierre  Dumont 
soon  after  pointed  out  a  place  on  the  visible  summit 
of  the  mountain,  where  a  gorge  between  the  neigh 
boring  peaks  admitted  a  view  of  the  heavens 
beyond.  This  he  informed  those  he  guided  was 
the  Col,  through  whose  opening  the  pile  of  the  Alps 
was  to  be  finally  surmounted.  The  light  that  still 
tranquilly  reigned  in  this  part  of  the  heavens  was 
in  sublime  contrast  to  the  gathering  gloom  of  the 
passes  below,  and  all  hailed  this  first  glimpse  of 
the  end  of  their  day's  toil  as  a  harbinger  of  rest, 
and  we  might  add  of  security ;  for,  although  none 
but  the  Signor  Grimaldi  had  detected  the  secret 
uneasiness  of  Pierre,  it  was  not  possible  to  be,  at 
that  late  hour,  amid  so  wild  and  dreary  a  display 
of  desolation,  and,  as  it  were,  cut  off  from  com 
munion  with  their  kind,  without  experiencing  an 
humbling  sense  of  the  dependence  of  man  upon  the 
grand  and  ceaseless  Providence  of  God. 

The  mules  were  again  urged  to  increase  their 
pace,  and  images  of  the  refreshment  and  repose 
that  were  expected  from  the  convent's  hospitality, 
became  general  and  grateful  among  the  travellers. 
The  day  was  fast  disappearing  from  the  glens  and 
ravines  through  which  they  rode,  and  all  discourse 
ceased  in  the  desire  to  get  on.  The  exceeding 
purity  of  the  atmosphere,  which,  at  that  great 
elevation,  resembled  a  medium  of  thought  rather 
than  of  matter,  rendered  objects  defined,  just,  and 
near;  and  none  but  the  mountaineers  and  Sigis- 
mund,  who  were  used  to  the  deception,  (for  in  effect 
truth  obtains  this  character  with  those  who  have 
been  accustomed  to  the  false)  and  who  understood 
the  grandeur  of  the  scale  on  which  nature  has  dis- 


THE    HEADSMAN.  367 

played  her  power  among  the  Alps,  knew  how  to 
calculate  the  distance  which  still  separated  them 
from  their  goal.  More  than  a  league  of  painful 
and  stony  ascent  was  to  be  surmounted,  and  yet 
Adelheid  and  Christine  had  both  permitted  slight 
exclamations  of  pleasure  to  escape  them,  when 
Pierre  pointed  to  the  speck  of  blue  sky  between 
the  hoary  pinnacles  above,  and  first  gave  them  to 
understand  that  it  denoted  the  position  of  the  con 
vent.  Here  and  there,  too,  small  patches  of  the 
last  year's  snow  were  discovered,  lying  under  the 
shadows  of  overhanging  rocks,  and  which  were 
likely  to  resist  the  powers  of  the  sun  till  winter 
came  again;  another  certain  sign  that  they  had 
reached  a  height  greatly  exceeding  that  of  the 
usual  habitations  of  men.  The  keenness  of  the 
air  was  another  proof  of  their  situation,  for  all  the 
travellers  had  heard  that  the  Augustines  dwelt 
among  eternal  frosts,  a  report  which  is  nearly 
literally  true. 

At  no  time  during  the  day  had  the  industry  of 
the  party  been  as  great  as  it  now  became.  In  this 
respect,  the  ordinary  traveller  is  apt  to  resemble 
him  who  journeys  on  the  great  highway  of  life, 
and  who  finds  himself  obliged,  by  a  tardy  and  ill- 
requited  diligence  in  age,  to  repair  those  omissions 
and  negligences  of  youth  which  would  have  ren 
dered  the  end  of  his  toil  easy  and  profitable.  Im 
proved  as  their  speed  had  become,  it  continued  to 
increase  rather  than  to  diminish,  for  Pierre  Dumont 
kept  his  eye  riveted  on  the  heavens,  and  each  mo 
ment  of  time  seemed  to  bring  new  incentives  to 
exertion.  The  wearied  beasts  manifested  less  zeal 
than  the  guide,  and  they  who  rode  them  were 
beginning  to  murmur  at  the  unreasonableness  of 
the  rate  at  which  they  were  compelled  to  proceed 
on  the  narrow,  uneven,  stony  path,  where  footing 
for  the  animals  was  not  always  obtained  with  the 


368  THE    HEADSMAN. 

necessary  quickness,  when  a  gloom  deeper  than 
that  cast  by  the  shadows  of  the  rocks  fell  upon 
their  track,  and  the  air  filled  with  snow,  as  sud 
denly  as  if  all  its  particles  had  been  formed  and 
condensed  by  the  application  of  some  prompt 
chemical  process. 

The  change  was  so  unexpected,  and  yet  so  com 
plete,  that  the  whole  party  checked  their  mules, 
and  sat  looking  up  at  the  millions  of  flakes  that 
Arere  descending  on  their  heads,  with  more  wonder 
and  admiration  than  fear.  A  shout  from  Pierre 
first  aroused  them  from  this  trance,  and  recalled 
them  to  a  sense  of  the  real  state  of  things.  He- 
was  standing  on  a  knoll,  already  separated  from 
the  party  by  some  fifty  yards,  white  with  snow, 
and  gesticulating  violently  for  the  travellers  to 
come  on. 

"  For  the  sake  of  the  Blessed  Maria !  quicken 
the  beasts,"  he  cried ;  for  Pierre,  like  most  who 
dwell  in  Valais,  was  a  Catholic,  and  one  accustomed 
to  bethink  him  most  of  his  heavenly  mediator  when 
most  oppressed  with  present  dangers;  "quicken 
their  speed,  if  ye  value  your  lives  !  This  is  no  mo 
ment  to  gaze  at  the  mountains,  which  are  well 
enough  in  their  way,  and  no  doubt  both  the  finest 
and  largest  known,"  (no  Swiss  ever  seriously 
vituperates  or  loses  his  profound  veneration  for  his 
beloved  nature,)  "but  which  had  better  be  the 
humblest  plain  on  earth  for  our  occasions  than 
what  they  truly  are.  Quicken  the  mules  then,  for 
the  love  of  the  Blessed  Virgin !" 

"  Thou  betrayest  unnecessary,  and,  for  one  that 
had  needs  be  cool,  indiscreet  alarm,  at  the  appear 
ance  of  a  little  snow,  friend  Pierre,"  observed  the 
Signor  Grimaldi,  as  the  mules  drew  near  the  guide, 
and  speaking  with  a  little  of  the  irony  of  a  soldier 
who  had  steeled  his  nerves  by  familiarity  with 
danger.  "  Even  we  Italians,  though  less  used  to 


THE    HEADSMAN.  369 

the  frosts  than  you  of  the  mountains,  are  not  so 
much  disturbed  by  the  change,  as  thou,  a  trained 
guide  of  St.  Bernard !" 

"Reproach  me  as  you  will,  Signore,"  said  Pierre 
turning  and  pursuing  his  way  with  increased  dili 
gence,  though  he  did  not  entirely  succeed  in  con 
cealing  his  resentment  at  an  accusation  which  he 
knew  to  be  unmerited,  "  but  quicken  your  pace ; 
until  you  are  better  acquainted  with  the  country 
in  which  you  journey,  your  words  pass  for  empty 
breath  in  my  ears.  This  is  no  trifle  of  a  cloak 
doubled  about  the  person,  or  of  balls  rolled  into 
piles  by  the  sport  of  children ;  but  an  affair  of  life 
or  death.  You  are  a  half  league  in  the  air,  Signor 
Genoese,  in  the  region  of  storms,  where  the  winds 
work  their  will,  at  times,  as  if  infernal  devils  were 
rioting  to  cool  themselves,  and  where  the  stoutest 
limbs  and  the  firmest  hearts  are  brought  but  too 
often  to  see  and  confess  their  feebleness !" 

The  old  man  had  uncovered  his  blanched  locks 
in  respect  to  the  Italian,  as  he  uttered  this  ener 
getic  remonstrance,  and  when  he  ended,  he  walked 
on  with  professional  pride,  as  if  disdaining  to  pro 
tect  a  brow  that  had  already  weathered  so  many 
tempests  among  the  mountains. 

"  Cover  thyself,  good  Pierre,  I  pray  thee ;"  urged 
the  Genoese  in  a  tone  of  repentance.  "I  have 
shown  the  intemperance  of  a  boy,  and  intem 
perance  of  a  quality  that  little  becomes  my  years. 
Thou  art  the  best  judge  of  the  circumstances  in 
which  we  are  placed,  and  thou  alone  shalt  lead  us." 

Pierre  accepted  the  apology  with  a  manly  but 
respectful  reverence,  continuing  always  to  ascend 
with  unremitted  industry. 

Ten  gloomy  and  anxious  minutes  succeeded. 
During  this  time,  the  falling  snows  came  faster 
and  in  finer  flakes,  while,  occasionally,  there  were 
fearful  intimations  that  the  winds  were  about  to 


370  THE    HEADSMAN. 

rise.  At  the  elevation  in  which  the  travellers  now 
found  themselves,  phenomena,  that  would  ordina 
rily  be  of  little  account,  become  the  arbiters  of 
fate.  The  escape  of  the  caloric  from  the  human 
system,  at  the  height  of  six  or  seven  thousand  feet 
Above  the  sea,  and  in  the  latitude  of  forty-six,  is, 
under  the  most  favorable  circumstances,  frequent 
ly  of  itself  the  source  of  inconvenience ;  but  here 
were  grave  additional  reasons  to  heighten  the 
danger.  The  absence  of  the  sun's  rays  alone  left 
a  sense  of  chilling  cold,  and  a  few  hours  of  night 
were  certain  to  bring  frost,  even  at  midsummer. 
Thus  it  is  that  storms  of  trifling  import  in  them 
selves  gain  power  over  the  human  frame,  by  its 
reduced  means  of  resistance,  and  when  to  this  fact 
is  added  the  knowledge  that  the  elements  are  far 
fiercer  in  their  workings  in  the  upper  than  in  the 
nether  regions  of  the  earth,  the  motives  of  Pierre's 
concern  will  be  better  understood  by  the  reader 
than  they  probably  were  by  himself,  though  the 
honest  guide  had  a  long  and  severe  experience  to 
supply  the  place  of  theory. 

Men  are  rarely  loquacious  in  danger.  The  timid 
recoil  into  themselves,  yielding  most  of  their  facul 
ties  to  a  tormenting  imagination,  that  augments 
the  causes  of  alarm  and  diminishes  the  means  of 
security,  while  the  firm  of  mind  rally  and  con 
dense  their  powers  to  the  point  necessary  to  exer 
tion.  Such  were  the  effects  in  the  present  instance 
on  those  who  followed  Pierre.  A  general  and  deep 
silence  pervaded  the  party,  each  one  seeing  their 
situation  in  the  colors  most  suited  to  his  particular 
habits  and  character.  The  men,  without  an  ex 
ception,  were  grave  and  earnest  in  their  efforts  to 
force  the  mules  forward ;  Adelheid  became  pale, 
but  she  preserved  her  calmness  by  the  sheer  force 
of  character;  Christine  was  trembling  and  de 
pendent,  though  Cheered  by  the  presence  of,  and 


THE    HEADSMAN.  371 

her  confidence  in,  Sigismund;  while  the  attend 
ants  of  the  heiress  of  Willading  covered  theii 
heads,  and  followed  their  mistress  with  the  blind 
faith  in  their  superiors  that  is  apt  to  sustain  people 
of  their  class  in  serious  emergencies. 

Ten  minutes  sufficed  entirely  to  change  the  as 
pect  of  the  view.  The  frozen  element  could  not 
adhere  to  the  iron-like  and  perpendicular  faces  of 
the  mountains,  but  the  glens,  and  ravines,  and  val 
leys  became  as  white  as  the  peak  of  Velan.  Still 
Pierre  continued  his  silent  and  upward  march,  in 
a  way  to  keep  alive  a  species  of  trembling  hope 
among  those  who  depended  so  helplessly  upon  his 
intelligence  and  faith.  They  wished  to  believe 
that  the  snow  was  merely  one  of  those  common 
occurrences  that  were  to  be  expected  on  the  sum 
mits  of  the  Alps  at  this  late  season  of  the  year, 
and  which  were  no  more  than  so  many  symptoms 
of  the  known  rigor  of  the  approaching  winter. 
The  guide  himself  was  evidently  disposed  to  lose 
no  time  in  explanation,  and  as  the  secret  excite 
ment  stole  over  all  his  followers,  he  no  longer  had 
cause  to  complain  of  the  tardiness  of  their  move 
ments.  Sigismund  kept  near  his  sister  and  Adel- 
heid,  having  a  care  that  their  mules  did  not  lag ; 
while  the  other  males  performed  the  same  neces 
sary  office  for  the  beasts  ridden  by  the  female  do 
mestics.  In  this  manner  passed  the  few  sombre 
minutes  which  immediately  preceded  the  disap 
pearance  of  day.  The  heavens  were  no  longer 
visible.  In  that  direction  the  eye  saw  only  an 
endless  succession  of  falling  flakes,  arid  it  was  get 
ting  to  be  difficult  to  distinguish  even  the  ramparts 
of  rock  that  bounded  the  irregular  ravine  in  which 
they  rode.  They  were  known  to  be,  however,  at 
no  great  distance  from  the  path,  which  indeed  oc 
casionally  brushed  their  sides.  At  other  moments 
they  crossed  rude,  stony,  mountain  heaths,  if  such 


372  THE    HEADSMAN. 

a  word  can  be  applied  to  spots  without  the  sym 
bol  or  hope  of  vegetation.  The  traces  of  the  beasts 
that  had  preceded  them,  became  less  and  less  ap 
parent,  though  the  trickling  stream  that  came  down 
from  the  glaciers,  and  along  which  they  had  now 
journeyed  for  hours,  was  occasionally  seen,  as  it 
was  crossed  in  pursuing  their  winding  way.  Pierre, 
though  still  confident  that  he  held  the  true  direc 
tion,  alone  knew  that  this  guide  was  not  longer  to 
be  relied  on ;  for,  as  they  drew  nearer  to  the  top 
of  the  mountains,  the  torrent  gradually  lessened 
both  in  its  force  and  in  the  volume  of  its  water, 
separating  into  twenty  small  rills,  which  came  rip 
pling  from  the  vast  bodies  of  snow  that  lay  among 
the  different  peaks  above. 

As  yet,  there  had  been  no  wind.  The  guide,  as 
minute  after  minute  passed  without  bringing  any 
change  in  this  respect,  ventured  at  last  to  advert 
to  the  fact,  cheering  his  companions  by  giving 
them  reasons  to  hope  that  they  should  yet  reach 
the  convent  without  any  serious  calamity.  As  if 
in  mockery  of  this  opinion,  the  flakes  of  snow 
began  to  whirl  in  the  air,  while  the  words  were  on 
his  lips,  and  a  blast  came  through  the  ravine,  that 
set  the  protection  of  cloaks  and  mantles  at  defiance. 
Notwithstanding  his  resolution  and  experience,  the 
stout-hearted  Pierre  suffered  an  exclamation  of 
despair  to  escape  him,  and  he  instantly  stopped,  in 
the  manner  of  a  man  who  could  no  longer  con 
ceal  the  dread  that  had  been  collecting  in  his  bosom, 
for  the  last  interminable  and  weary  hour.  Sigis 
mund,  as  well  as  most  of  the  men  of  the  party,  had 
dismounted  a  little  previously,  with  a  view  to  ex 
cite  warmth  by  exercise.  The  youth  had  often 
traversed  the  mountains,  and  the  cry  no  sooner 
reached  his  ear,  than  he  was  at  the  side  of  him  who 
uttered  it. 


THE    HEADSMAJT.  373 

"  At  what  distance,  are  we  still  from  the  con  • 
vent  ?"  he  demanded  eagerly. 

"  There  is  more  than  a  league  of  steep  and  stony 
path  to  mount,  Monsieur  le  Capitaine ;"  returned 
the  disconsolate  Pierre,  in  a  tone  that  perhaps  said 
more  than  his  words. 

"  This  is  not  a  moment  for  indecision.  Remem 
ber  that  thou  art  not  the  leader  of  a  party  of  car 
riers  with  their  beasts  of  burthen,  but  that  there 
are  those  with  us,  who  are  unused  to  exposure, 
and  are  feeble  of  body.  What  is  the  distance  from 
the  last  hamlet  we  passed?" 

"  Double  that  to  the  convent !" 

Sigismund  turned,  and  with  the  eye  he  made  a 
silent  appeal  to  the  two  old  nobles,  as  if  to  ask  for 
advice  or  orders. 

"  It  might  indeed  be  better  to  return,"  observed 
the  Signore  Grimaldi,  in  the  way  one  utters  a  half- 
formed  resolution.  "  This  wind  is  getting  to  be 
piercingly  cutting,  and  the  night  is  hard  upon  us. 
What  thinkest  thou,  Melchior ;  for,  with  Monsieur 
Sigismund,  I  am  of  opinion  that  there  is  little  time 
to  lose." 

"  Signore,  your  pardon,"  hastily  interrupted  the 
guide.  "  I  would  not  undertake  to  cross  the  plain 
of  the  Velan  an  hour  later,  for  all  the  treasures  of 
Einsideln  and  Loretto!  The  wind  will  have  an 
infernal  sweep  in  that  basin,  which  will  soon  be 
boiling  like  a  pot,  while  here  we  shall  get,  from 
time  to  time,  the  shelter  of  the  rocks.  The  slight 
est  mishap  on  the  open  ground  might  lead  us  astray 
a  league  or  more,  and  it  would  need  an  hour  to 
regain  the  course.  The  beasts  too  mount  faster 
than  they  descend,  and  with  far  more  surety  in  the 
dark ;  and  even  when  at  the  village  there  is  nothing 
fit  for  nobles,  while  the  brave  monks  have  all  that 
a  king  can  need." 

"  Those  who  escape  from  these  wild  rocks  need 
2G 


374  THE    HEADSMAN. 

not  bo  critical  about  their  fare,  honest  Pierre,  when 
fairly  housed.  Wilt  thou  answer  for  our  arrival  at 
the  convent  unharmed,  and  in  reasonable  time?" 

"  Signore,  we  are  in  the  hands  of  God.     The 

ious  Augustines,  I  make  no  doubt,  are  praying 

or  all  who  are  on  the  mountain  at  this  moment ;  but 

here  is  not  a  minute  to  lose.     I  ask  no  more  than 

that  none  lose  sight  of  their  companions,  and  that 

each  exert  his  force  to  the  utmost.    We  are  not 

far  from  the  House   of  Refuge,  and  should  the 

storm   increase  to  a  tempest,  as,  to  conceal  the 

danger  no  longer,  well  may  happen  in   this  late 

month,  we  will  seek  its  shelter  for  a  few  hours." 

This  intelligence  was  happily  communicated,  for 
the  certainty  that  there  was  a  place  of  safety  with 
in  an  attainable  distance,  had  some  such  cheering 
effect  on  the  travellers  as  is  produced  on  the  mar 
iner  who  finds  that  the  hazards  of  the  gale  are 
lessened  by  the  accidental  position  of  a  secure 
harbor  under  his  lee.  Repeating  his  admonitions 
for  the  party  to  keep  as  close  together  as  possible, 
and  advising  all  who  felt  the  sinister  effects  of  the 
cold  on  their  limbs  to  dismount,  and  to  endeavor 
to  restore  the  circulation  by  exercise,  Pierre  re 
sumed  his  route. 

But  even  the  time  consumed  in  this  short  con 
ference  had  sensibly  altered  the  condition  of  things 
for  the  worse.  The  wind,  which  had  no  fixed  di 
rection,  being  a  furious  current  of  the  upper  air 
diverted  from  its  true  course  by  encountering  the 
ragged  peaks  and  ravines  of  the  Alps,  was  now 
whirling  around  them  in  eddies,  now  aiding  their 
ascent  by  seeming  to  push  against  their  backs,  and 
then  returning  in  their  faces  with  a  violence  that 
actually  rendered  advance  impossible.  The  tem 
perature  fell  rapidly  several  degrees,  and  the  most 
vigorous  of  the  party  began  to  perceive  the  benumb 
ing  influence  of  the  chilling  currents,  at  their  lower 


THE    HEADSMAN.  375 

extremities  especially,  in  a  manner  to  excite  seri 
ous  alarm.  Every  precaution  was  used  to  protect 
the  females  that  tenderness  could  suggest;  but 
though  Adelheid,  who  alone  retained  sufficient 
self-command  to  give  an  account  of  her  feelings, 
diminished  the  danger  of  their  situation  with  the 
wish  not  to  alarm  their  companions  uselessly,  she 
could  not  conceal  from  herself  the  horrible  truth 
that  the  vital  heat  was  escaping  from  her  own 
body,  with  a  rapidity  that  rendered  it  impossible 
for  her  much  longer  to  retain  the  use  of  her  facul 
ties.  Conscious  of  her  own  mental  superiority 
over  that  of  all  her  female  companions,  a  supe 
riority  which  in  such  moments  is  even  of  more 
account  than  bodily  force,  after  a  few  minutes  of 
silent  endurance,  she  checked  her  mule,  and  called 
upon  Sigismund  to  examine  the  condition  of  his 
sister  and  her  maids,  neither  of  whom  had  now 
spoken  for  some  time. 

This  startling  request  was  made  at  a  moment 
when  the  storm  appeared  to  gather  new  force,  and 
when  it  had  become  absolutely  impossible  to  distin 
guish  even  the  whitened  earth  at  twenty  paces  from 
the  spot  where  the  party  stood  collected  in  a  shiver 
ing  group.  The  young  soldier  threw  open  the  cloaks 
and  mantles  in  which  Christine  was  enveloped, 
and  the  half-unconscious  girl  sank  on  his  shoulder, 
like  a  drowsy  infant  that  was  willing  to  seek  its 
slumbers  in  the  arms  of  one  it  loved. 

"  Christine ! — my  sister ! — my  poor,  my  much- 
abused,  angelic  sister!"  murmured  Sigismund, 
happily  for  his  secret  in  a  voice  that  only  reached 
the  ears  of  Adelheid.  "  Awake !  Christine ;  for  the 
love  of  our  excellent  and  affectionate  mother,  ex 
ert  thyself.  Awake !  Christine,  in  the  name  of  God, 
awake !" 

"  Awake,  dearest  Christine !"  exclaimed  Adel 
heid,  throwing  herself  from  th&  saddle,  and  folding 


376  THE    HEADSMAN. 

the  smiling  but  benumbed  girl  to  her  bosom.  "  Goa 
protect  me  from  the  pang  of  feeling  that  thy  loss 
should  be  owing  to  my  wish  to  lead  thee  amid 
these  cruel  and  inhospitable  rocks  !  Christine,  if 
thou  hast  love  or  pity  for  me,  awake  !" 

"  Look  to  the  rnaids  !"  hurriedly  said  Pierre, 
who  found  that  he  was  fast  touching  on  one  of 
those  mountain  catastrophes,  of  which,  in  the 
course  of  his  life,  he  had  been  the  witness  of  a  few 
of  fearful  consequences.  "  Look  to  all  the  females, 
for  he  who  now  sleeps,  dies !" 

The  muleteers  soon  stripped  the  two  domestics 
of  their  outer  coverings,  and  it  was  immediately 
proclaimed  that  both  were  in  imminent  danger, 
one  having  already  lost  all  consciousness.  A  time 
ly  application  of  the  flask  of  Pierre,  and  the  efforts 
of  the  muleteers,  succeeded  so  far  in  restoring  life 
as  to  remove  the  grounds  of  immediate  apprehen 
sion;  though  it  was  apparent  to  the  least  instructed 
of  them  all,  that  half  an  hour  more  of  exposure 
would  probably  complete  the  fatal  work  that  had 
so  actively  and  vigorously  commenced.  To  add 
to  the  horror  of  this  conviction,  each  member  of 
the  party,  not  excepting  the  muleteers,  was  pain 
fully  conscious  of  the  escape  of  that  vital  warmth 
whose  total  flight  was  death. 

In  this  strait  all  dismounted.  They  felt  that  the 
occasion  was  one  of  extreme  jeopardy,  that  nothing 
could  save  them  but  resolution,  and  that  every 
minute  of  time  was  getting  to  be  of  the  last  impor 
tance.  Each  female,  Adelheid  included,  was 
placed  between  two  of  the  other  sex,  and,  supported 
in  this  manner,  Pierre  called  loudly  and  in  a  man 
ful  voice  for  the  whole  to  proceed.  The  beasts 
were  driven  after  them  by  one  of  the  muleteers. 
The  progress  of  travellers,  feeble  as  Adelheid 
and  her  companions,  on  a  stony  path  of  very  une 
ven  surface,  and  of  a  steep  ascent,  the  snow  cover 


THE    HEADSMAN.  377 

mg  the  feet,  and  the  tempest  cutting  their  faces, 
was  necessarily  slow,  and  to  the  last  degree  toil 
some.  Still,  the  exertion  increased  the  quickness 
of  the  blood,  and,  for  a  short  time,  there  was  an 
appearance  of  recalling  those  who  most  suffered 
to  life.  Pierre,  who  still  kept  his  post  with  the 
hardihood  of  a  mountaineer,  and  the  fidelity  of  a 
Swiss,  cheered  them  on  with  his  voice,  continuing 
to  raise  the  hope  that  the  place  of  refuge  was  at 
hand. 

At  this  instant,  when  exertion  was  most  needed, 
and  when,  apparently,  all  were  sensible  of  its  im 
portance  and  most  disposed  to  make  it,  the  mule 
teer  charged  with  the  duty  of  urging  on  the  line  of 
beasts  deserted  his  trust,  preferring  to  take  his 
chance  of  regaining  the  village  by  descending  the 
mountain,  to  struggle  uselessly,  and  at  a  pace  so 
slow,  to  reach  the  convent.  The  man  was  a 
stranger  in  the  country,  who  had  been  adventi 
tiously  employed  for  this  expedition,  and  was  un 
connected  with  Pierre  by  any  of  those  ties  which 
are  the  best  pledges  of  unconquerable  faith,  when 
the  interests  of  self  press  hard  upon  our  weak 
nesses.  The  wearied  beasts,  no  longer  driven, 
and  indisposed  to  toil,  first  stopped,  then  turned 
aside  to  avoid  the  cutting  air  and  the  ascent,  and 
were  soon  wandering  from  the  path  it  was  so 
vitally  necessary  to  keep. 

As  soon  as  Pierre  was  informed  of  the  circum 
stance,  he  eagerly  issued  an  order  to  collect  the 
stragglers  without  delay,  and  at  every  hazard. 
Benumbed,  bewildered,  and  unable  to  see  beyond 
a  few  yards,  this  embarrassing  duty  was  not  easily 
performed.  One  after  another  of  the  party  joined 
in  the  pursuit,  for  all  the  effects  of  the  travellers 
were  on  the  beasts ;  and  after  some  ten  minutes  of 
delay,  blended  with  an  excitement  which  helped 
to  quicken  the  blood  and  to  awaken  the  faculties 
2G  2 


378  THE    HEADSMAN. 

of  even  the  females,  the  mules  were  all  happily 
regained.  They  were  secured  to  each  other 
head  and  tail,  in  the  manner  so  usual  in  the  droves 
of  these  animals,  and  Pierre  turned  to  resume  the 
order  of  the  march.  But  on  seeking  the  path,  i 
was  not  to  be  found !  Search  was  made  on  every 
side,  and  yet  none  could  meet  with  the  smallest  of 
its  traces.  Broken,  rough  fragments  of  rock, 
were  all  that  rewarded  the  most  anxious  investi 
gation  ;  and  after  a  few  precious  minutes  uselessly 
wasted,  they  all  assembled  around  the  guide,  as  if 
by  common  consent,  to  seek  his  counsel.  The 
truth  was  no  longer  to  be  concealed — the  party 
was  lost ! 


CHAPTEE  XXIII. 

Let  no  presuming  ratter  tax 

Creative  wisdom,  as  if  aught  was  fbrm'd 

In  vain,  or  not  for  admirable  ends. 

THOMSON. 

So  long  as  we  possess  the  power  to  struggle, 
hope  is  the  last  feeling  to  desert  the  human  mind. 
Men  are  endowed  with  every  gradation  of  cour 
age,  from  the  calm  energy  of  reflection,  which  is 
rendered  still  more  effective  by  physical  firmness, 
to  the  headlong  precipitation  of  reckless  spirit; 
from  the  resolution  that  grows  more  imposing  and 
more  respectable  as  there  is  greater  occasion  for 
its  exercise,  to  the  fearful  and  ill-directed  energies 
of  despair.  But  no  description  with  the  pen  can 
give  the  reader  a  just  idea  of  the  chill  that  comes 
over  the  heart  when  accidental  causes  rob  us,  sud 
denly  and  without  notice,  of  those  resources  on 


THE   HEADSMAN.  379 

which  we  have  been  habitually  accustomed  to 
rely.  The  mariner  without  his  course  or  compass 
loses  his  audacity  and  coolness,  though  the  mo 
mentary  danger  be  the  same ;  the  soldier  will  fly, 
if  you  deprive  him  of  his  arms ;  and  the  hunter  of 
our  own  forests  who  has  lost  his  landmarks,  is 
transformed  from  the  bold  and  determined  foe  of 
its  tenants,  into  an  anxious  and  dependent  fugitive, 
timidly  seeking  the  means  of  retreat.  In  shorty 
the  customary  associations  of  the  mind  being 
rudely  and  suddenly  destroyed,  we  are  made 
to  feel  that  reason,  while  it  elevates  us  so  far  above 
the  brutes  as  to  make  man  their  lord  and  govern 
or,  becomes  a  quality  less  valuable  than  instinct, 
when  the  connecting  link  in  its  train  of  causes  and 
effects  is  severed. 

It  was  no  more  than  a  natural  consequence  of 
his  greater  experience,  that  Pierre  Dumont  under 
stood  the  horrors  of  their  present  situation  far  bet 
ter  than  any  with  him.  It  is  true,  there  yet  re 
mained  enough  light  to  enable  him  to  pick  his  way 
over  the  rocks  and  stones,  but  he  had  sufficient 
experience  to  understand  that  there  was  less  risk 
in  remaining  stationary  than  in  moving ;  for,  while 
there  was  only  one  direction  that  led  towards  the 
Refuge,  all  the  rest  would  conduct  them  to  a 
greater  distance  from  the  shelter,  which  was  now 
the  only  hope.  On  the  other  hand,  a  very  few 
minutes  of  the  intense  cold,  and  of  the  searching 
wind  to  which  they  were  exposed,  would  most 
probably  freeze  the  currents  of  life  in  the  feebler 
of  those  intrusted  to  his  care. 

"Hastthou  aught  to  advise?"  asked  Melchior 
de  Willading,  folding  Adelheid  to  his  bosom,  be 
neath  his  ample  cloak,  and  communicating,  with  a 
father's  love,  a  small  portion  of  the  meagre  warmth 
that  still  remained  in  his  own  aged  frame  to  that 
of  his  drooping  daughter — "  canst  thou  bethink 


380  THE    HEADSMAN. 

thee  of  nothing,  that  may  be  done,  in  this  awfa 
strait?" 

"  If  the  good  monks  have  been  active — "  re 
turned  the  wavering  Pierre.  "  I  fear  me  that  the 
dogs  have  not  yet  been  exercised,  on  the  paths, 
this  season !" 

"Has  it  then  come  to  this  !  Are  our  lives  indeei 
dependent  on  the  uncertain  sagacity  of  brutes !" 

"  Mein  Herr,  I  would  bless  the  Virgin,  and  her 
holy  Son,  if  it  were  so !  But  I  fear  this  storm  has 
been  so  sudden  and  unexpected,  that  we  may  not 
even  hope  for  their  succor." 

Melchior  groaned.  He  folded  his  child  still 
nearer  to  his  heart,  while  the  athletic  Sigismund 
shielded  his  drooping  sister,  as  the  fowl  shelters  its 
young  beneath  the  wing. 

"  Delay  is  death,"  rejoined  the  Signor  Grimaldi. 
"  I  have  heard  of  muleteers  that  have  been  driven 
to  kill  their  beasts,  that  shelter  and  warmth  might 
be  found  in  their  entrails." 

"  The  alternative  is  horrible !"  interrupted  Sig 
ismund.  "Is  return  impossible?  By  always  de 
scending,  we  must,  in  time,  reach  the  village  be 
low." 

"  That  time  would  be  fatal,"  answered  Pierre. 
'  I  know  of  only  one  resource  that  remains.  If 
the  party  will  keep  together,  and  answer  my  shouts 
I  will  make  another  effort  to  find  the  path." 

"  This  proposal  was  gladly  accepted,  for  energy 
and  hope  go  hand-in-hand,  and  the  guide  was  about 
o  quit  the  group,  when  he  felt  the  strong  grasp  of 
Sigismund  on  his  arm. 

"I  will  be  thy  companion,"  said  the  soldier 
firmly. 

"  Thou  hast  not  done  me  justice,  young  man,' 
answered  Pierre,  with  severe  reproach  in  his  man 
ner.  "  Had  I  been  base  enough  to  desert  my  trust, 
these  limbs  and  this  strength  are  yet  sufficient  to 


THE    HEADSMAN.  381 

f^arry  me  safely  down  the  mountain ;  but  though 
a  guide  of  the  Alps  may  freeze  like  another  man, 
the  last  throb  of  his  heart  will  be  in  behalf  of  those 
he  serves !" 

"  A  thousand  pardons  brave  old  man — a  thou 
sand  pardons ;  still,  will  I  be  thy  companion ;  th 
search   that  is   conducted  by  two  will  be  more 
likely  to  succeed,  than  that  on  which  thou  goest 
alone." 

The  offended  Pierre,  who  liked  the  spirit  of  the 
youth  as  much  as  he  disliked  his  previous  suspi 
cions,  met  the  apology  frankly.  He  extended  his 
hand  and  forgot  the  feelings,  that,  even  amid  the 
tempests  of  those  wild  mountains,  were  excited  by 
a  distrust  of  his  honesty.  After  this  short  conces 
sion  to  the  ever-burning,  though  smothered  vol 
cano,  of  human  passion,  they  left  the  group  to 
gether,  in  order  to  make  a  last  search  for  their 
course. 

The  snow  by  this  time  was  many  inches  deep, 
and  as  the  road  was  at  best  but  a  faint  bridle-path 
that  could  scarcely  be  distinguished  by  day-light 
from  the  debris  which  strewed  the  ravines,  the 
undertaking  would  have  been  utterly  hopeless,  had 
not  Pierre  known  that  there  was  the  chance  of 
still  meeting  with  some  signs  of  the  many  mules 
that  daily  went  up  and  down  the  mountain.  The 
guide  called  to  the  muleteers,  who  answered  his 
cries  every  minute,  for  so  long  as  they  kept  within 
the  sound  of  each  other's  voices,  there  was  no 
danger  of  their  becoming  entirely  separated.  But, 
amid  the  hollow  roaring  of  the  wind,  and  the  in 
cessant  pelting  of  the  storm,  it  was  neither  safe 
nor  practicable  to  venture  far  asunder.  Several 
ittle  stony  knolls  were  ascended  and  descended, 
and  a  rippling  rill  was  found,  but  without  bringing 
with  it  any  traces  of  the  path.  The  heart  of  Pierre 
began  to  chill  with  the  decreasing  warmth  of  his 


382  THE    HEADSMAN. 

body,  and  the  firm  old  man,  overwhelmed  with  his 
responsibility  while  his  truant  thoughts  would  un 
bidden  recur  to  those  whom  he  had  left  in  his  cot 
tage  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  gave  way  at  last 
to  his  emotions  in  a  paroxysm  of  grief,  wringing 
his  hands,  weeping  and  calling  loudly  on  God  for 
uccor.  This  fearful  evidence  of  their  extremity 
worked  upon  the  feelings  of  Sigismund  until  they 
were  wrought  up  nearly  to  frenzy.  His  great 
physical  force  still  sustained  him,  and  in  an  access 
of  energy  that  was  fearfully  allied  to  madness,  he 
rushed  forward  into  the  vortex  of  snow  and  hail, 
as  if  determined  to  leave  all  to  the  Providence  of 
God,  disappearing  from  the  eyes  of  his  compan 
ion.  This  incident  recalled  the  guide  to  his  senses. 
He  called  earnestly  on  the  thoughtless  youth  to 
return.  No  answer  was  given,  and  Pierre  has 
tened  back  to  the  motionless  and  shivering  party, 
in  order  to  unite  all  their  voices  in  a  last  effort  to 
be  heard.  Cry  upon  crv  was  raised,  but  each  shout 
was  answered  merely  by  the  hoarse  rushing  of  the 
winds. 

"  Sigismund  !  Sigismund ! "  called  one  after  an 
other,  in  hurried  and  alarmed  succession. 

"  The  noble  boy  will  be  irretrievably  lost !"  ex 
claimed  the  Signor  Grimaldi,  in  despair,  the  ser- 
» ices  already  rendered  by  the  youth,  together  with 
his  manly  qualities,  having  insensibly  and  closely 
wound  themselves  around  his  heart.  "He  will 
die  a  miserable  death,  and  without  the  consolation 
of  meeting  his  fate  in  communion  with  his  fellow- 
sufferers  !" 

A  shout  from  Sigismund  came  whirling  past,  as 
if  the  sound  were  embodied  in  the  gale. 

"Blessed  ruler  of  the  earth,  this  is  alone  tn> 
rnercy  !"  exclaimed  Melchior  de  Willading, — "  he 
has  found  the  path  !" 


THE    HEADSMAN.  383 

"And  honor  to  thee,  Maria — thou  mother  of 
God !"  murmured  the  Italian. 

At  that  moment,  a  dog  came  leaping  and  bark 
ing  through  the  snow.  It  immediately  was  scent 
ing  and  whining  among  the  frozen  travellers.  The 
exclamations  of  joy  and  surprise  were  scarcely  ut 
tered  before  Sigismund,  accompanied  by  another, 
joined  the  party. 

"  Honor  and  thanks  to  the  good  Augustines  !M 
cried  the  delighted  guide ;  "  this  is  the  third  good 
office  of  the  kind,  for  which  I  am  their  debtor !" 

"  I  would  it  were  true,  honest  Pierre,"  answered 
the  stranger.  "  But  Maso  and  Nettuno  are  poor 
substitutes,  in  a  tempest  like  this,  for  the  servants 
and  beasts  of  St.  Bernard.  I  am  a  wanderer,  and 
lost  like  yourselves,  and  my  presence  brings  little 
other  relief  than  that  which  is  known  to  be  the 
fruit  of  companionship  in  misery.  The  saints  have 
brought  me  a  second  time  into  your  company  when 
matters  were  hanging  between  life  and  death !" 

Maso  made  this  last  remark  when,  by  drawing 
nearer  the  ffroup,  he  had  been  able  to  ascertain, 
by  the  remains  of  the  light,  of  whom  the  party 
was  composed. 

"  If  it  is  to  be  as  useful  now  as  thou  hast  already 
been,"  answered  the  Genoese,  "  it  will  be  happier 
for  us  all,  thyself  included :  bethink  thee  quickly 
of  thy  expedients,  and  I  will  make  thee  an  equal 
sharer  of  all  that  a  generous  Providence  hath  be 
stowed." 

II  Maledetto  rarely  listened  to  the  voice  of  the 
Signor  Grimaldi,  without  a  manner  of  interest  ana 
curiosity  which,  as  already  mentioned,  had  more 
ban  once  struck  the  latter  himself,  but  which  he 
quite  naturally  attributed  to  the  circumstance  of 
his  person  being  known  to  one  who  had  declared 
himself  to  be  a  native  of  Genoa.  Even  at  this 
terrible  moment,  the  same  manner  was  evident 


384  THE    HEADSMAN. 

find  the  noble,  thinking  it  a  favorable  symptom, 
renewed  the  already  neglected  offer  of  fortune, 
with  a  view  to  quicken  a  zeal  which  he  reasonably 
enough  supposed  would  be  most  likely  to  be  awa- 
ened  by  the  hopes  of  a  substantial  reward. 

"  Were  there  question  here,  illustrious  Signore," 
nswered  Maso,  "  of  steering  a  barge,  of  shorten- 
ning  sail,  or  of  handling  a  craft  of  any  rig  or 
construction,  in  gale,  squall,  hurricane,  or  a  calm 
among  breakers,  my  skill  and  experience  might 
be  turned  to  good  account ;  but  setting  aside  the 
difference  in  our  strength  and  hardihood,  even  that 
lily  which  is  in  so  much  danger  of  being  nipped 
by  the  frosts,  is  not  more  helpless  than  I  am  myself 
at  this  moment.  I  am  no  better  than  yourselves, 
Signori,  and,  though  a  better  mountaineer  perhaps, 
I  rely  on  the  favor  of  the  saints  to  be  succored, 
or  my  time  must  finish  among  the  snows  instead 
of  in  the  surf  of  a  sea-shore,  as,  until  now,  I  had 
always  believed  would  be  my  fate." 

"  But  the  dog — thy  admirable  dog !" 

"  Ah,  eccellenza,  Nettuno  is  but  a  useless  beast, 
here  !  God  has  given  him  a  thicker  mantle,  and  a 
warmer  dress  than  to  us  Christians,  but  even  this 
advantage  will  soon  prove  a  curse  to  my  poor 
friend.  The  long  hair  he  carries  will  quickly  be 
covered  with  icicles,  and,  as  the  snow  deepens,  it 
will  retard  his  movements.  The  dogs  of  St.  Bern 
ard  are  smoother,  have  longer  limbs,  a  truer  scent, 
and  possess  the  advantage  of  being  trained  to  the 
paths." 

A  tremendous  shout  of  Sigismund's  interrupted 
Maso, — the  youth,  on  finding  that  the  accidental 
meeting  with  the  mariner  was  not  likely  to  lead  to 
any  immediate  advantages,  having  instantly,  ac 
companied  by  Pierre  and  one  of  his  assistants, 
renewed  the  search.  The  cry  was  echoed  from 
the  guide  and  the  muleteer,  and  then  all  three  were 


THE    HEADSMAN.  385 

seen  flying  through  the  snow,  preceded  by  a  power, 
ful  mastiff.  Nettuno,  who  had  been  crouching 
with  his  bushy  tail  between  his  legs,  barked,  seemed 
to  arouse  with  renewed  courage,  and  then  leaped 
with  evident  joy  and  good-will  upon  the  back  of 
His  old  antagonist  Uberto. 

The  dog  of  St.  Bernard  was  alone.  But  his  air 
and  all  his  actions  were  those  of  an  animal  whose 
consciousness  was  wrought  up  to  the  highest  pitch 
permitted  by  the  limits  nature  had  set  to  the  intel 
ligence  of  a  brute.  He  ran  from  one  to  another, 
rubbed  his  glossy  and  solid  side  against  the  limbs 
of  all,  wagged  his  tail,  and  betrayed  the  usual  signs 
that  creatures  of  his  species  manifest,  when  their 
instinct  is  most  alive.  Luckily  he  had  a  good  in 
terpreter  of  his  meaning  in  the  guide,  who,  knowing 
the  habits,  and,  if  it  may  be  so  expressed,  the  in 
tentions  of  the  mastiff,  feeling  there  was  not  a 
moment  to  lose  if  they  would  still  preserve  the 
feebler  members  of  their  party,  begged  the  others 
to  hasten  the  necessary  dispositions  to  profit  by  this 
hanpy  meeting.  The  females  were  supported  as 
before,  the  mules  fastened  together,  and  Pierre, 
placing  himself  in  front,  called  cheerfully  to  the 
dog,  encouraging  him  to  lead  the  way. 

"  Is  it  quite  prudent  to  confide  so  implicitly  to 
the  guidance  of  this  brute?"  asked  the  Signor  Gri- 
maldi  a  little  doubtingly,  when  he  saw  the  arrange 
ment  on  which,  by  the  increasing  gloom  and  the 
growing  intensity  of  the  cold,  it  was  but  too  appa 
rent,  even  to  one  as  little  accustomed  to  the  moun 
tains  as  himself,  that  the  lives  of  the  whole  party 
depended. 

"  Fear  not  to  trust  to  old  Uberto,  Signore,"  an 
swered  Pierre,  moving  onward  as  he  spoke,  for  to 
think  of  further  delay  was  out  of  the  question;  "fear 
nothing  for  the  faith  or  the  knowledge  of  the  dog. 
These  animals  are  trained  by  the  servants  of  tho 
2H 


386  THE    HEADSMAN. 

convent  to  know  and  keep  the  paths,  even  when 
the  snows  He  on  them  fathoms  deep.  God  has 
given  them  stout  hearts,  long  limbs,  and  short  hair 
expressly,  as  it  has  often  seemed  to  me,  for  this 
end ;  and  nobly  do  they  use  the  gifts !  I  am  ac 
quainted  with  all  their  ways,  for  we  guides  com 
monly  learn  the  ravines  of  St.  Bernard  by  first 
serving  the  claviers  of  the  convent,  and  many  a 
day  have  I  gone  up  and  down  these  rocks  with  a 
couple  of  these  animals  in  training  for  this  very 
purpose.  The  father  and  mother  of  Uberto  were 
my  favorite  companions,  and  their  son  will  hardly 
play  an  old  friend  of  the  family  false." 

The  travellers  followed  their  leader  with  more 
confidence,  though  blindly.  Uberto  appeared  to 
perform  his  duty  with  the  sobriety  and  steadiness 
that  became  his  years,  and  which,  indeed,  were 
very  necessary  for  the  circumstances  in  which 
they  were  placed.  Instead  of  bounding  ahead  and 
becoming  lost  to  view,  as  most  probably  would 
have  happened  with  a  younger  animal,  the  noble 
and  half-reasoning  brute  maintained  a  pace  that 
was  suited  to  the  slow  march  of  those  who  supported 
the  females,  occasionally  stopping  to  look  back,  as 
if  to  make  sure  that  none  were  left. 

The  dogs  of  St.  Bernard  are,  or  it  might  perhaps 
be  better  to  say  were, — for  it  is  affirmed  that  the 
ancient  race  is  lost, — chosen  for  their  size,  their 
limbs,  and  the  shortness  of  their  coats,  as  has  just 
been  stated  by  Pierre ;  the  former  being  necessary 
to  convey  the  succor  with  which  they  were  often 
charged,  as  well  as  to  overcome  the  difficulties  of 
the  mountains,  and  the  two  latter  that  they  might 
the  better  wade  through,  and  resist  the  influence 
of,  the  snows.  Their  training  consisted  in  render 
ing  them  familiar  with,  and  attached  to,  the  human 
race ;  in  teaching  them  to  know  and  to  keep  the 
paths  on  all  occasions,  except  such  as  called  for  a 


THE   HEADSMAN.  387 

higher  exercise  of  their  instinct,  and  to  discover 
the  position  of  those  who  had  been  overwhelmed 
t>y  the  avalanches,  and  to  assist  in  disinterring 
their  bodies.  In  all  these  duties  Uberto  had  been 
so  long  exercised,  that  he  was  universally  know 
to  be  the  most  sagacious  and  the  most  trusty  ani 
mal  on  the  mountain.  Pierre  followed  his  steps 
with  so  much  greater  reliance  on  his  intelligence, 
from  being  perfectly  acquainted  with  the  charac 
ter  of  the  dog.  When,  therefore,  he  saw  the  mas 
tiff  turn  at  right  angles  to  the  course  he  had  just 
been  taking,  the  guide,  on  reaching  the  spot,  imi 
tated  his  example,  and,  first  removing  the  snow  to 
make  sure  of  the  fact,  he  joyfully  proclaimed  to 
those  who  came  after  him  that  the  lost  path  was 
found.  This  intelligence  sounded  like  a  reprieve 
from  death,  though  the  mountaineers  well  knew 
that  more  than  an  hour  of  painful  and  increasing 
toil  was  still  necessary  to  reach  the  hospice.  The 
chilled  blood  of  the  tender  beings  who  were  fast 
dropping  into  the  terrible  sleep  which  is  the  fore 
runner  of  death,  was  quickened  in  their  veins,  how 
ever,  when  they  heard  the  shout  of  delight  that 
spontaneously  broke  from  all  their  male  compan 
ions,  on  learning  the  glad  tidings. 

The  movement  was  now  faster,  though  embar 
rassed  and  difficult  on  account  of  the  incessant 
pelting  of  the  storm  and  the  influence  of  the  biting 
cold,  which  were  difficult  to  be  withstood  by  even 
the  strongest  of  the  party.  Sigismund  groaned 
inwardly,  as  he  thought  of  Adelheid  and  his  sister's 
being  exposed  to  a  tempest  which  shook  the  stout 
est  frame  and  the  most  manly  heart  among  them. 
He  encircled  the  latter  with  an  arm,  rather  carry 
ing  than  leading  her  along,  for  the  young  soldier 
had  sufficient  knowledge  of  the  localities  of  the 
mountain  to  understand  that  they  were  still  at  a 
fearful  distance  from  the  Col,  and  that  the  strength 


388  THE    HEADSMAN. 

of  Christine  was  absolutely  unequal  to  the  task  of 
reaching  it  unsupported. 

Occasionally  Pierre  spoke  to  the  dogs,  Nettuno 
keeping  close  to  the  side  of  Uberto  in  order  to 
prevent  separation,  since  the  path  was  no  longei 
discernible  without  constart  examination,  the  dark 
ness  having  so  far  increased  as  to  reduce  the  sight 
to  very  narrow  limits.  Each  time  the  name  of 
the  latter  was  pronounced,  the  animal  would  stop, 
wag  his  tail,  or  give  some  other  sign  of  recogni 
tion,  as  if  to  reassure  his  followers  of  his  intelli 
gence  and  fidelity.  After  one  of  these  short  halts, 
old  Uberto  and  his  companion  unexpectedly  refus 
ed  to  proceed.  The  guide,  the  two  old  nobles,  and 
at  length  the  whole  party,  were  around  them,  and 
no  cry  or  encouragement  of  the  mountaineers 
could  induce  the  dogs  to  quit  their  tracks. 

"  Are  we  again  lost  1"  asked  the  Baron  de  Wil- 
lading,  pressing  Adelheid  closer  to  his  beating 
heart,  nearly  ready  to  submit  to  their  common 
fate  in  despair.  "  Has  God  at  length  forsaken  us? 
— my  daughter — my  beloved  child  !" 

This  touching  appeal  was  answered  by  a  howl 
from  Uberto,  who  leaped  madly  away  and  disap 
peared.  Nettuno  followed,  .barking  wildly  and 
with  a  deep  throat.  Pierre  did  not  hesitate  about 
following,  and  Sigismund,  believing  that  the  move 
ment  of  the  guide  was  to  arrest  the  flight  of  the 
dogs,  was  quickly  on  his  heels.  Maso  moved  with 
greater  deliberation. 

"  Nettuno  is  not  apt  to  raise  that  bark  with  no 
thing  but  hail,  and  snow,  and  wind  in  his  nostrils," 
said  the  calculating  Italian.  "We  are  either  near 
another  party  of  travellers,  for  such  are  on  the 
mountains  as  I  know " 

"God  forbid!  Art  sure  of  this?"  demanded  the 
Signor  Grimaldi,  observing  that  the  other  had  sud 
denly  checked  himself. 


THE    HEADSMAN.  389 

"  Sure  that  others  were,  Signore,"  returned  the 
mariner  deliberately,  as  if  he  measured  well  tho 
meaning  of  each  word.  "  Ah,  here  comes  the  trus 
ty  beast,  and  Pierre,  and  the  Captain,  with  their 
tidings,  be  they  good  or  be  they  evil." 

The  two  just  named  rejoined  their  friends  a 
Maso  ceased  speaking.  They  hurriedly  informed 
the  shivering  travellers  that  the  much  desired 
Refuge  was  near,  and  that  nothing  but  the  dark 
ness  and  the  driving  snow  prevented  it  from  being 
seen. 

"  It  was  a  blessed  thought,  and  one  that  came 
from  St.  Augustine  himself,  which  led  the  holy 
monks  to  raise  this  shelter!"  exclaimed  the  de 
lighted  Pierre,  no  longer  considering  it  necessary 
to  conceal  the  extent  of  the  danger  they  had  run. 
"  I  would  not  answer  even  for  my  own  power  to 
reach  the  hospice  in  a  time  like  this.  You  are  of 
mother  church,  Signore,  being  of  Italy  ?" 

"  I  am  one  of  her  unworthy  children,"  returned 
the  Genoese. 

"  This  unmerited  favor  must  have  come  from 
the  prayers  of  St.  Augustine,  and  a  vow  I  made 
to  send  a  fair  offering  to  our  Lady  of  Einsiedeln ; 
for  never  before  have  I  known  a  dog  of  St.  Bern 
ard  lead  the  traveller  to  the  Refuge !  Their  busi 
ness  is  to  find  the  frozen,  and  to  guide  the  travellei 
along  the  paths  to  the  hospice.  Even  Uberto  had 
his  doubts,  as  you  saw,  but  the  vow  prevailed ; 
or,  I  know  not — it  might,  indeed,  have  been  the 
prayer." 

The  Signor  Grimaldi  was  too  eager  to  get  Adel- 
heid  under  cover,  and,  in  good  sooth,  to  be  there 
himself,  to  waste  the  time  in  discussing  the  knotty 
point  of  which  of  two  means  that  were  equally 
orthodox,  had  been  the  most  efficacious  in  bring- 
jng  about  their  rescue.  In  common  with  the  others, 
he  followed  the  pious  and  confiding  Pierre  in  si- 
2  H2 


390  THE    HEADSMAN. 

lence,  making  the  best  of  his  way  after  the  credu 
lous  guide.  The  latter  had  not  yet  seen  the  Refuge 
himself,  for  so  these  places  are  well  termed  on  the 
Alpine  passes,  but  the  formation  of  the  ground  had 
satisfied  him  of  its  proximity.  Once  reassured  as 
to  his  precise  position,  all  the  surrounding  locali 
ties  presented  themselves  to  his  mind  with  the  fa 
miliarity  the  seaman  manifests  with  every  cord  in 
the  intricate  maze  of  his  rigging,  in  the  darkest 
night,  or,  to  produce  a  parallel  of  more  common 
use,  with  the  readiness  which  all  manifest  in  the 
intricacies  of  their  own  habitations.  The  broken 
chain  of  association  being  repaired  and  joined, 
every  thing  became  clear  again  to  his  apprehen 
sion,  and,  in  diverging  from  the  path  on  this  occa 
sion,  the  old  man  held  his  way  as  directly  toward 
the  spot  he  sought,  as  if  he  were  journeying  under 
a  bright  sun.  There  was  a  rough  but  short  de 
scent,  a  similar  rise,  and  the  long-desired  goal  was 
reached. 

We  shall  not  stop  to  dwell  upon  the  emotions 
with  which  the  travellers  first  touched  this  place 
of  comparative  security.  Humility,  and  depend 
ence  on  the  providence  of  God,  were  the  pre 
dominant  sensations  even  with  the  rude  muleteers, 
while  the  nearly  exhausted  females  were  just  able 
to  express  in  murmurs  their  fervent  gratitude  to 
the  omnipotent  power  that  had  permitted  its  agents 
so  unexpectedly  to  interpose  between  them  and 
death.  The  Refuge  was  not  seen  until  Pierre  laid 
his  hand  on  the  roof,  now  white  with  snow,  and 
proclaimed  its  character  with  a  loud,  warm,  and 
devout  thanksgiving. 

"  Enter  and  thank  God !"  he  said.  "  Another 
hopeless  half-hour  would  have  brought  down  from 
his  pride  the  stoutest  among  us — enter,  and  thank 
God !" 

As  is  the  fact  with  all  the  edifices  of  that  region 


THE    HEADSMAN.  391 

the  building  was  entirely  of  stone,  even  to  the  roof 
having  the  form  of  those  vaulted  cellars  which 
in  this  country  are  used  for  the  preservation  of 
vegetables.  It  was  quite  free  from  humidity,  how 
ever,  the  clearness  of  the  atmosphere  and  the  en 
tire  absence  of  soil  preventing  the  accumulation 
of  moisture,  and  it  offered  no  more  than  the  naked 
protection  of  its  walls  to  those  who  sought  its 
cover.  But  shelter  on  such  a  night  was  every 
thing,  and  this  it  effectually  afforded.  The  place 
had  only  one  outlet,  being  simply  formed  of  four 
walls  and  the  roof;  but  it  was  sufficiently  large  to 
shelter  a  party  twice  as  numerous  as  that  which 
had  now  reached  it. 

The  transition  from  the  biting  cold  and  piercing 
winds  of  the  mountain  to  the  shelter  of  this  inar 
tificial  building,  was  so  great  as  to  produce  some 
thing  like  a  general  sensation  of  warmth.  The 
advantage  gained  in  this  change  of  feeling  was 
judiciously  improved  by  the  application  of  friction 
and  of  restoratives  under  the  direction  of  Pierre. 
Uberto  carried  a  small  supply  of  the  latter  attach 
ed  to  his  collar,  and  before  half  an  hour  had  passed 
Adelheid  and  Christine  were  sleeping  sweetly,  side 
by  side,  muffled  in  plenty  of  the  spare  garments, 
and  pillowed  on  the  saddles  and  housings  of  the 
mules.  The  brutes  were  brought  within  the  Re 
fuge,  and  as  no  party  mounted  the  St.  Bernard 
without  carrying  the  provender  necessary  for  its 
beasts  of  burthen,  that  sterile  region  affording 
none  of  its  own,  the  very  fuel  being  transported 
leagues  on  the  backs  of  mules,  the  patient  and 
hardy  animals,  too,  found  their  solace,  after  the 
fatigues  and  exposure  of  the  day.  The  presence 
of  so  many  living  bodies  in  lodgings  so  confined 
aided  in  producing  warmth,  and,  after  all  had 
eaten  of  the  scanty  fare  furnished  by  the  fore 
sight  of  the  guide,  drowsiness  came  over  the  whole 
party. 


392  THE  HEADSMAN. 


CHAPTEK  XXIV 

Side  by  side, 
Within  they  Jie,  a  mournful  company. 

ROGERS* 

THE  sleep  of  the  weary  is  sweet.  In  after-life, 
Adelheid,  when  dwelling  in  a  palace,  reposing  on 
down,  and  canopied  by  the  rich  stuffs  of  a  more 
generous  climate,  wTas  often  heard  to  say  that  she 
had  never  taken  rest  grateful  as  that  she  found  in 
the  Refuge  of  St.  Bernard.  So  easy,  natural,  and 
refreshing,  had  been  her  slumbers,  unalloyed  even 
by  those  dreams  of  precipices  and  avalanches 
which,  long  afterwards,  haunted  her  slumbers* 
that  she  was  the  first  to  open  her  eyes  on  the  fol 
lowing  morning,  awaking  like  an  infant  that  had 
enjoyed  a  quiet  and  healthful  repose.  Her  move 
ments  aroused  Christine.  They  threw  aside  the 
cloaks  and  coats  that  covered  them,  and  sat  gazing 
about  the  place  in  the  confusion  that  the  novelty 
of  their  situation  would  be  likely  to  produce.  All 
the  rest  of  the  travellers  still  slumbered ;  and,  aris 
ing  without  noise,  they  passed  the  silent  and  insen 
sible  sleepers,  the  quiet  mules  which  had  stretched 
themselves  near  the  entrance  of  the  place,  and 
quitted  the  hut. 

Without,  the  scene  was  wintry :  but,  as  is  usual 
in  the  Alps  let  what  may  be  the  season,  its  features 
of  grand  and  imposing  sublimity  were  prominent 
The  day  was  among  the  peaks  above  them,  while 
the  shades  of  night  still  lay  upon  the  valleys,  form 
ing  a  landscape  like  that  exquisite  and  poetical  pic 
ture  of  the  lower  world,  which  Guido  has  given  iu 
the  celebrated  al-fresco  painting  of  Aurora.  The 
ravines  and  glens  were  covered  with  snow,  oul 


THE  HEADSMAN.  393 

the  sides  of  the  rugged  rocks  were  bare  in  their 
eternal  hue  of  ferruginous  brown.  The  little  knoll 
on  which  the  Refuge  stood  was  also  nearly  naked, 
the  wind  having  driven  the  light  particles  of  the 
snow  into  the  ravine  of  the  path.  The  air  of  the 
morning  is  keen  at  that  great  height  even  in  mid 
summer,  and  the  shivering  girls  drew  their  man 
tles  about  them,  though  they  breathed  the  clear, 
elastic,  inspiring  element  with  pleasure.  The  storm 
was  entirely  past,  and  the  pure  sapphire-colored 
sky  was  in  lovely  contrast  with  the  shadows  be 
neath,  raising  their  thoughts  naturally  to  that  hea 
ven  which  shone  in  a  peace  and  glory  so  much  in 
harmony  with  the  ordinary  images  we  shadow 
forth  of  the  abode  of  the  blessed.  Adelheid  press 
ed  the  hand  of  Christine,  and  they  knelt  together, 
bowing  their  heads  to  a  rock.  As  fervent,  pure, 
and  sincere  orisons  ascended  to  God,  from  these 
pious  and  innocent  spirits,  as  it  belongs  to  poor 
mortality  to  offer. 

This  general,  and  in  their  peculiar  situation  es 
pecial,  duty  performed,  the  gentle  girls  felt  more 
assured.  Relieved  of  a  heavy  and  imperative  ob 
ligation,  they  ventured  to  look  about  them  with 
greater  confidence.  Another  building,  similar  in 
form  and  material  to  that  in  which  their  compan 
ions  were  still  sleeping,  stood  on  the  same  swell  of 
rock,  and  their  first  inquiries  naturally  took  that 
direction.  The  entrance,  or  outlet  to  this  hut,  was 
an  orifice  that  resembled  a  window  rather  than  a 
door.  They  moved  cautiously  to  the  spot,  look 
ing  into  the  gloomy,  cavern-like  room,  as  timidly 
as  the  hare  throws  his  regards  about  him  before 
he  ventures  from  his  cover.  Four  human  forms 
were  reposing  deep  in  the  vault,  with  their  backs 
sustained  against  the  walls.  They  slept  profound- 
.y  too,  for  the  curious  but  startled  girls  gazed  at 


394  THE    HEADSMAN*. 

them  long,  and  retired  without  causing  them  to 
awake. 

"  We  have  not  been  alone  on  the  mountain  in 
this  terrible  night,"  whispered  Adelheid,  gently 
urging  the  trembling  Christine  away  from  the  spot ; 
"  thou  seest  that  other  travellers  have  been  taking 
their  rest  near  us ;  most  probably  after  perils  and 
fatigues  like  our  own." 

Christine  drew  closer  to  the  side  of  her  more 
experienced  friend,  like  the  young  of  the  dove 
hovering  near  the  mother-bird  when  first  ventur 
ing  from  the  nest,  and  they  returned  to  the  refuge 
they  had  quitted,  for  the  cold  was  still  so  intense 
as  to  render  its  protection  grateful.  At  the  door 
they  were  met  by  Pierre,  the  vigilant  old  man 
having  awakened  as  soon  as  the  light  crossed  his 
eyes. 

"  We  are  not  alone  here ;"  said  Adelheid,  point 
ing  to  the  other  stone-covered  roof — "there  are 
travellers  sleeping  in  yonder  building,  too." 

"  Their  sleep  will  be  long,  lady ;"  answered  the 
guide,  shaking  his  head  solemnly.  "  With  two  of 
them  it  has  already  lasted  a  twelvemonth,  and  the 
third  has  slept  where  you  saw  him  since  the  fall  of 
the  avalanche  in  the  last  days  of  Aprd." 

Adelheid  recoiled  a  step,  for  his  meaning  was 
too  plain  to  be  misunderstood.  After  looking  at 
her  gentle  companion,  she  demanded  if  those  they 
had  seen  were  in  truth  the  bodies  of  travellers  who 
had  perished  on  the  mountain. 

"  Of  no  other,  lady,"  returned  Pierre.  "  This 
hut  is  for  the  living — that  for  the  dead.  So  near 
are  the  two  to  each  other,  when  men  journey  OR 
these  wild  rocks  in  winter .  I  have  known  him 
who  passed  a  short  and  troubled  night  here,  begin 
a  sleep  in  the  other  before  the  turn  of  the  day  that 
is  not  only  deep  enough,  but  which  will  last  for 
ever.  One  of  the  three  that  thou  hast  just  seen 


THE    HEADSMAN.  395 

was  a  guide  like  myself:  he  was  buried  in  tho 
falling  snow  at  the  spot  where  the  path  leaves  the 
plain  of  Velan  below  us.  Another  is  a  pilgrim 
that  perished  in  as  clear  a  night  as  ever  shone  on 
St.  Bernard,  and  merely  for  having  taking  a  cup 
too  much  to  cheer  his  way.  The  third  is  a  poor 
vine-dresser  that  was  coming  from  Piedmont  into 
our  Swiss  valleys  to  follow  his  calling,  when  death 
overtook  him  in  an  ill-advised  slumber,  in  which 
he  was  so  unwise  as  to  indulge  at  nightfall.  I 
found  his  body  myself  on  that  naked  rock,  the  day 
after  we  had  drunk  together  in  friendship  at  Aoste, 
and  with  my  own  hands  was  he  placed  among 
the  others." 

"  And  such  is  the  burial  a  Christian  gets  in  this 
inhospitable  country !" 

"  What  would  you,  lady ! — 'tis  the  chance  of  the 
poor  and  the  unknown.  Those  that  have  friends 
are  sought  and  found ;  but  those  that  die  without 
leaving  traces  of  their  origin  fare  as  you  see.  The 
spade  is  useless  among  these  rocks ;  and  then  it  is 
better  that  the  body  should  remain  where  it  may 
be  seen  and  claimed,  than  it  should  be  put  out  of 
sight.  The  good  fathers,  and  all  of  note,  are  taken 
down  into  the  valleys,  where  there  is  earth,  and 
are  decently  buried ;  while  the  poor  and  the  stranger 
are  housed  in  this  vault,  which  is  a  better  cover 
than  many  of  them  knew  while  living.  Ay,  there 
are  three'  Christians  there,  who  were  all  lately 
walking  the  earth  in  the  flesh,  gay  and  active 
as  any." 

"  The  bodies  are  four  in  number !" 

Pierre  looked  surprised ;  he  mused  a  little,  and 
ontinued  his  employment. 

"Then  another  has  perished.  The  time  may 
come  when  my  own  blood  shall  freeze.  This  is  a 
fate  the  guide  must  ever  keep  in  mind,  for  he  is 


396  THE   HEADSMAN. 

exposed  to  it  at  an  hour  and  a  season  that  he  knows 
not !" 

Adelheid  pursued  the  subject  no  farther.  She. 
remembered  to  have  heard  that  the  pure  atmo 
sphere  of  the  mountain  prevented  that  offensive 
decay  which  is  usually  associated  with  the  idea  of 
eath,  and  the  usage  lost  some  of  its  horror  in  the 
recollection. 

In  the  mean  time  the  remainder  of  the  party 
awoke,  and  were  collecting  before  the  refuge. 
The  mules  were  led  forth  and  saddled,  the  baggage 
was  loaded,  and  Pierre  was  calling  upon  the  trav 
ellers  to  mount,  when  Uberto  and  Nettuno  came 
leaping  down  the  path  in  company,  running  side 
by  side  in  excellent  fellowship.  The  movements 
of  the  dogs  were  of  a  nature  to  attract  the  atten 
tion  of  Pierre  and  the  muleteers,  who  predicted 
that  they  should  soon  see  some  of  the  servants  of 
the  hospice.  The  result  showed  the  familiarity  of 
the  guide  with  his  duty,  for  he  had  scarce  ventur 
ed  this  opinion,  when  a  party  from  the  gorge  on 
the  summit  of  the  mountain  was  seen  wading 
through  the  snow,  along  the  path  that  led  towards 
the  Refuge,  with  Father  Xavier  at  its  head. 

The  explanations  were  brief  and  natural.  After 
conducting  the  travellers  to  the  shelter,  and  passing 
most  of  the  night  in  their  company,  at  the  approach 
of  dawn  Uberto  had  returned  to  the  convent, 
always  attended  by  his  friend  Nettuno.  Here  he 
communicated  to  the  monks,  by  signs  which  they 
wh3  were  accustomed  to  the  habits  of  the  anima. 
were  not  slow  in  interpreting,  that  travellers  were 
on  the  mountain.  The  good  clavier  knew  that  the 
party  of  the  Baron  de  Willading  was  about  to 
cross  the  Col,  for  he  had  hurried  home  to  be  in 
readiness  to  receive  them;  and  foreseeing  the 
probability  that  they  had  been  overtaken  by  the 
storm  of  the  previous  night,  he  was  foremost  in 


THE   HEADSMAIT.  397 

joining  the  servants  who  went  forth  to  their  suc 
cor.  The  little  flask  of  cordial,  too,  had  been 
removed  from  the  collar  of  Uberto,  leaving  no 
doubt  of  its  contents  having  been  used ;  and,  as 
nothing  was  more  probable  than  that  the  traveller 
should  seek  a  cover,  their  steps  were  directed  to 
wards  the  Refuge  as  a  matter  of  course. 

The  worthy  clavier  made  this  explanation  with 
eyes  that  glistened  with  moisture,  occasionally  in 
terrupting  himself  to  murmur  a  prayer  of  thanks 
giving.  He  passed  from  one  of  the  party  to  the 
other,  not  even  neglecting  the  muleteers,  examin 
ing  their  limbs,  and  more  especially  their  ears,  to 
see  that  they  had  quite  escaped  the  influence  of 
the  frost,  and  was  only  happy  when  assured  by 
his  own  observation  that  the  terrible  danger  they 
had  run  was  not  likely  to  be  attended  by  any  in 
jurious  consequences. 

"  We  are  accustomed  to  see  many  accidents  of 
this  nature,"  he  said,  smilingly,  when  the  examina 
tion  was  satisfactorily  ended,  "  and  practice  has 
made  us  quick  of  sight  in  these  matter?.  The 
blessed  Maria  be  praised,  and  adoration  to  her  holy 
Son,  that  you  have  all  got  through  the  night  so 
well !  There  is  a  warm  breakfast  in  readiness  in 
the  convent  kitchen,  and,  one  solemn  duty  perform 
ed,  we  will  go  up  the  rocks  to  enjoy  it.  The  little 
building  near  us  is  the  last  earthly  abode  of  those 
who  perish  on  this  side  the  mountain,  and  whose 
remains  are  unclaimed.  None  of  our  canons  pass 
the  spot  without  offering  a  prayer  in  behalf  of  their 
souls.  Kneel  with  me,  then,  you  that  have  so  much 
reason  to  be  grateful  to  God,  and  join  in  the  pe 
tition." 

Father  Xavier  knelt  on  the  rocks,  and  all  the 
Catholics  of  the  party  united  with  him  in  the  prayer 
for  the  dead.    The  Baron  de  Willading,  his  daugh 
ter  and  their  attendants  stood  uncovered  the  while, 
21 


398  THE    HEADSMAN. 

for  though  their  Protestant  opinions  rejected  such 
a  mediation  as  useless,  they  deeply  felt  the  solem 
nity  and  holy  character  of  the  sacrifice.  The 
clavier  arose  with  a  countenance  that  was  beaming 
nd  bright  as  the  morning  sun  which,  just  at  that 
moment,  appeared  above  the  summits  of  the  Alps, 
asting  its  genial  and  bland  warmth  on  the  group, 
the  brown  huts,  and  the  mountain  side. 

"  Thou  art  a  heretic,"  he  said  affectionately 
to  Adelheid,  in  whom  he  felt  the  interest,  to  which 
her  youth  and  beauty,  and  the  great  danger  they 
had  so  lately  run  in  company,  very  naturally  gave 
birth.  "  Thou  art  an  impenitent  heretic,  but  we 
will  not  cast  thee  off;  notwithstanding  thy  obstinacy 
and  crimes,  thou  seest  that  the  saints  can  interest 
themselves  in  the  behalf  of  obstinate  sinners,  or  thou 
and  all  with  thee  would  have  surely  been  lost." 

This  was  said  in  a  way  to  draw  a  smile  from 
Adelheid,  who  received  his  accusations  as  so  many 
friendly  and  playful  reproaches.  As  a  token  of 
peace  between  them,  she  offered  her  hand  to  the 
monk,  with  a  request  that  he  would  aid  her  in 
getting  into  the  saddle. 

"  Dost  thou  remark  the  brutes  !"  said  the  Signor 
Grimaldi,  pointing  to  the  animals,  who  were  gravely 
seated  before  the  window  of  the  bone-house,  with 
relaxed  jaws,  keeping  their  eyes  riveted  on  its 
entrance,  or  window.  "  Thy  St.  Bernard  dogs, 
father,  seem  trained  to  serve  a  Christian  in  all  ways, 
whether  living  or  dead." 

"  Their  quiet  attitude  and  decent  attention  might 
indeed  justify  such  a  remark !  Didst  thou  ever  note 
uch  conduct  in  Uberto  before?"  returned  the 
A.ugustine,  addressing  the  servants  of  the  convent, 
for  the  actions  of  the  animals  were  a  study  and  a 
subject  of  great  interest  to  all  of  St.  Bernard. 

"  They  tell  me  that  another  fresh  body  has  been 
put  into  the  house,  since  I  last  came  down  the 


THE    HEADSMAN  399 

mountain,"  remarked  Pierre,  who  was  quietly  dis 
posing  of  a  mule  in  a  manner  more  favorable  for 
Adelheid  to  mount:  "the  mastiff  scents  the  dead. 
It  was  this  that  brought  him  to  the  Refuge  last 
night,  Heaven  be  praised  for  the  mercy !" 

This  was  said  with  the  indifference  that  habit  is 
apt  to  create,  for  the  usage  of  leaving  bodies  un- 
interred  had  no  influence  on  the  feelings  of  the 
guide,  but  it  did  not  the  less  strike  those  who  had 
descended  from  the  convent. 

*'  Thou  art  the  last  that  came  down  thyself,"  said 
one  of  the  servants ;  "  nor  have  any  come  up,  but 
those  who  are  now  safe  in  the  convent,  taking  their 
rest  after  last  night's  tempest." 

"  How  canst  utter  this  idle  nonsense,  Henri,  when 
a  fresh  body  is  in  the  house  !  This  lady  counted 
them  but  now,  and  there  are  four ;  three  was  the 
number  that  I  showed  the  Piedmontese  noble  whom 
I  led  from  Aoste,  the  day  thou  meanest !" 

"  Look  to  this ;"  said  the  clavier,  turning  abruptly 
away  from  Adelheid,  whom  he  was  on  the  point 
of  helping  into  the  saddle. 

The  men  entered  the  gloomy  vault,  whence  they 
soon  returned  bearing  a  body,  which  they  placed 
with  its  back  against  the  wall  of  the  building,  in 
the  open  air.  A  cloak  was  over  the  head  and  face, 
as  if  the  garment  had  been  thus  arranged  to  ex 
clude  the  cold. 

"  He  hath  perished  the  past  night,  mistaking  the 
bone-house  for  the  Refuge  !"  exclaimed  the  clavier : 
"  Maria  and  her  Son  intercede  for  his  soul !" 

"  Is  the  unfortunate  man  truly  dead  ?"  asked  the 
Genoese  with  more  of  worldly  care,  and  with 
greater  practice  in  the  investigation  of  facts.  "  The 
frozen  sleep  long  before  the  currents  of  life  cease 
entirely  to  run." 

The  Augustine  commanded  his  followers  to  re 
move  the  cloak,  though  with  little  hope  that  the 


400  THE    HEADSMAN. 

suggestion  of  the  other  would  prove  true.  Whe- 
the  cloth  was  raised,  the  collapsed  and  pallid  fea 
tures  of  one  in  whom  life  was  unequivocally  extinc\ 
were  exposed  to  view.  Unlike  most  of  those  that 
perish  of  cold,  who  usually  sink  into  the  long  sleep 
of  eternity  by  a  gradual  numbness  and  a  slowly 
increasing  unconsciousness,  there  was  an  expres 
sion  of  pain  in  the  countenance  of  the  stranger 
which  seemed  to  announce  that  his  parting  struggles 
had  been  severe,  and  that  he  had  resigned  his  hold 
of  that  mysterious  principle  which  connects  the 
soul  to  the  body,  with  anguish.  A  shriek  from 
Christine  interrupted  the  awful  gaze  of  the  travel 
lers,  and  drew  their  looks  in  another  direction.  She 
was  clinging  to  the  neck  of  Adelheid,  her  arms 
appearing  to  writhe  with  the  effort  to  incorporate 
their  two  bodies  into  one. 

"  It  is  he !  It  is  he !"  muttered  the  frightened 
and  half  frantic  girl,  burying  her  pale  face  in  the 
bosom  of  her  friend.  "  Oh  !  God  !— it  is  he  !" 

"  Of  whom  art  thou  speaking,  dear  ?"  demanded 
the  wondering,  but  not  the  less  awe-struck,  Adel 
heid,  believing  that  the  weakened  nerves  of  the 
poor  girl  were  unstrung  by  the  horror  of  the  spec 
tacle — "  it  is  a  traveller  like  ourselves,  that  has  un 
happily  perished  in  the  very  storm  from  which,  by 
the  kindness  of  Providence,  we  have  been  permitted 
to  escape.  Thou  shouldst  not  tremble  thus ;  for, 
fearful  as  it  is,  he  is  in  a  condition  to  which  we  all 
must  come.'* 

"  So  soon!  so  soon  !  so  suddenly — oh!  it  is  he!" 

Adelheid,  alarmed  at  the  violence  of  Christine's 
feelings,  was  quite  at  a  loss  to  account  for  them, 
when  the  relapsed  grasp  and  the  dying  voice  showed 
that  her  friend  had  fainted.  Sigismund  was  one 
of  the  first  to  come  to  the  assistance  of  his  sister, 
who  was  soon  restored  to  consciousness  by  the 
ordinary  applications.  In  order  to  effect  the  cure. 


THE    HEADSMAN.  401 

she  was  borne  to  a  rock  at  some  little  distance 
from  the  rest  of  the  party,  where  none  of  the  othej 
sex  presumed  to  come,  with  the  exception  of  hei 
brother.  The  latter  staid  but  a  moment,  for  a  stii 
in  the  little  party  at  the  bone-house  induced  him 
to  go  thither.  His  return  was  slow,  thoughtful, 
and  sad. 

"  The  feelings  of  our  poor  Christine  have  been 
unhinged,  and  she  is  too  easily  excited  to  undergo 
the  vicissitudes  of  a  journey  "  observed  Adelheid, 
after  having  announced  the  restoration  of  the  suf 
ferer  to  her  senses ;  "  have  you  seen  her  thus  be 
fore  ?" 

"  No  angel  could  be  more  tranquil  and  happy 
than  my  cruelly  treated  sister  was  until  this  last 
disgrace;  —  you  appear  ignorant  yourself  of  the 
melancholy  truth  ?" 

Adelheid  looked  her  surprise. 

"  The  dead  man  is  he  who  was  so  lately  intended 
to  be  the  master  of  my  sister's  happiness,  and  the 
wounds  on  his  body  leave  little  doubt  that  he  has 
been  murdered." 

The  emotion  of  Christine  needed  no  further 
explanation. 

"  Murdered  !"  repeated  Adelheid,  in  a  whispei 

"  Of  that  frightful  truth  there  can  be  no  question. 
Your  father  and  our  friends  are  now  employed  in 
making  the  examinations  which  may  hereafter  be 
useful  in  discovering  the  authors  of  the  deed." 
'    "Sigismund?" 

"What  wouldst  thou,  Adelheid?" 

"  Thou  hast  felt  resentment  against  this  unfortu 
nate  man?" 

"  I  deny  it  not :  could  a  brother  feel  otherwise T*; 

"  But  now — now  that  God  hath  so  fearfully  vis 
ited  him  ?" 

"From  my  soul  I  forgive  him.     Had  we  mei 

212 


402  THE    HEADSMAN. 

in  Italy,  whither  I  knew  he  was  going — but  this  is 
foolish." 

"  Worse  than  that,  Sigismund." 

"  From  my  inmost  soul  I  pardon  him.     I  never 
thought  him  worthy  of  her  whose  simple  affection 
were  won  by  the  first  signs  of  his  pretended  inte 
rest ;  but  I  could  not  wish  him  so  cruel  and  sud 
den  an  end.     May  God  have  mercy  on  him,  as  he 
is  pardoned  by  me  !" 

Adelheid  received  the  silent  pressure  of  the  hand 
which  followed  with  pious  satisfaction.  They  then 
separated,  he  to  join  the  group  that  was  collected 
around  the  body,  and  she  to  take  her  station  again 
near  Christine.  The  former,  however,  was  met  by 
the  Signer  Grimaldi,  who  urged  his  immediate  de 
parture  with  the  females  for  the  convent,  promising 
that  the  rest  of  the  travellers  should  follow  as  soon 
as  the  present  melancholy  duty  was  ended.  As  Si 
gismund  had  no  wish  to  be  a  party  in  what  was 
going  on,  and  there  was  reason  to  think  his  sister 
would  be  spared  much  pain  by  quitting  the  spot, 
he  gladly  acquiesced  in  the  proposal.  Immediate 
steps  were  taken  for  its  accomplishment. 

Christine  mounted  her  mule,  in  obedience  to  her 
brother's  desire,  quietly,  and  without  remonstrance; 
but  her  death-like  countenance  and  fixed  eye 
betrayed  the  violence  of  the  shock  she  had  received. 
During  the  whole  of  the  ride  to  the  convent  she 
spoke  not,  and,  as  those  around  her  felt  for,  and 
understood,  her  distress,  the  little  cavalcade  could 
not  have  been  more  melancholy  and  silent  had  it 
borne  with  it  the  body  of  the  slain.  In  an  hour 
hey  reached  the  long  sought  for  and  so  anxiously 
desired  place  of  rest. 

While  this  disposition  of  the  feebler  portion  of 
the  party  was  making,  a  different  scene  had  taken 
place  near  what  have  been  already  so  well  called 
the  houses  of  the  living;  and  the  dead.  As  there  exist- 


THE   HEADSMAN.  403 

ed  no  human  habitation  within  several  leagues  of  the 
abode  of  the  Augustines  on  either  side  of  the  moun 
tain,  and  as  the  paths  were  much  frequented  in  the 
summer,  the  monks  exercised  a  species  of  civil  juris 
diction  in  such  cases  as  required  a  prompt  exercise 
of  justice,  or  a  necessary  respect  for  those  forms  that 
might  be  important  in  its  administration  hereafter  be 
fore  the  more  regular  authorities.  It  was  no  sooner 
known,  therefore,  that  there  was  reason  to  suspect 
an  act  of  violence  had  been  committed,  than  the 
good  clavier  set  seriously  about  taking  the  neces 
sary  steps  to  authenticate  all  those  circumstances 
that  could  be  accurately  ascertained. 

The  identity  of  the  body  as  that  of  Jacques  Colis, 
a  small  but  substantial  proprietor  of  the  country 
of  Vaud,  was  quickly  established.  To  this  fact 
not  only  several  of  the  travellers  could  testify,  but 
he  was  also  known  to  one  of  the  muleteers,  of 
whom  he  had  engaged  a  beast  to  be  left  at  Aoste 
and,it  will  also  be  remembered,  he  had  been  seen  by 
Pierre  at  Martigny,  while  making  his  arrangements 
to  pass  the  mountain.  Of  the  mule  there  were  no 
other  traces  than  a  few  natural  signs  around  the 
building,  but  which  might  equally  be  attributed  to 
the  beasts  that  still  awaited  the  leisure  of  the  trav 
ellers.  The  manner  in  which  the  unhappy  man 
had  come  by  his  death  admitted  of  no  dispute. 
There  were  several  wounds  in  the  body,  and  a 
knife,  of  the  sort  then  much  used  by  travellers  of 
an  ordinary  class,  was  left  sticking  in  his  back  in 
a  position  to  render  it  impossible  to  attribute  the 
end  of  the  sufferer  to  suicide.  The  clothes,  too, 
exhibited  proofs  of  a  struggle,  for  they  were  torn 
and  soiled,  but  nothing  had  been  taken  away.  A 
littk  gold  was  found  in  the  pockets,  and  though  in 
no  great  plenty  still  enough  to  weaken  the  first  im 
pression  that  there  had  also  been  a  robbery. 


404  THE    HEADSMAN. 

"  This  is  wonderful !"  observed  the  good  clavier 
as  he  noted  the  last  circumstance ;  "  the  dross 
which  leads  so  many  souls  to  damnation  has  been 
neglected  while  Christian  blood  has  been  shed ! 
This  seems  an  act  of  vengeance  rather  than  of 
cupidity.  Let  us  now  examine  if  any  proofs  aro 
to  be  found  of  the  scene  of  this  tragedy." 

The  search  was  unsuccessful.  The  whole  of 
the  surrounding  region  being  composed  of  ferrugi 
nous  rocks  and  their  debris,  it  would  not,  indeed, 
have  been  an  easy  matter  to  trace  the  march  of 
an  army  by  their  footsteps.  The  stain  of  blood, 
however,  was  nowhere  discoverable,  except  on 
the  spot  where  the  body  had  been  found.  The 
house  itself  furnished  no  particular  evidence  of  the 
bloody  scene  of  which  it  had  been  a  witness.  The 
bones  of  those  who  had  died  long  before  were  ly 
ing  on  the  stones,  it  is  true,  broken  and  scattered ; 
but,  as  the  curious  were  wont  to  stop,  and  some 
times  to  enter  among  and  handle  these  remains  of 
mortality,  there  was  nothing  new  or  peculiar  in 
their  present  condition. 

The  interior  of  the  dead-house  was  obscure,  and 
suited,  in  this  particular  at  least,  to  its  solemn  office. 
While  making  the  latter  part  of  their  examination, 
the  monk  and  the  two  nobles,  who  began  to  feel  a 
lively  interest  in  the  late  event,  stood  before  the 
window,  gazing  in  at  the  gloomy  but  instructive 
scene.  One  body  was  so  placed  as  to  receive  a 
few  of  the  direct  rays  of  the  morning  light,  and  it 
was  consequently  much  more  conspicuous  than  the 
rest,  though  even  this  wras  a  dark  and  withered 
mummy  that  presented  scarcely  a  vestige  of  the 
being  it  had  been.  Like  all  the  others  whose  parts 
still  clung  together,  it  had  been  placed  against  the 
wall,  in  the  attitude  of  one  that  is  seated,  with  the 
head  fallen  forward.  The  latter  circumstance  had 
brought  the  blackened  and  shrivelled  face  into  the 


THE    HEADSMAN.  405 

line  of  light.  It  haa  the  ghastly  grin  of  death,  the 
features  being  distorted  by  the  process  of  evapora 
tion,  and  was  altogether  a  revolting  but  salutary 
monitor  of  the  common  lot. 

"  'Tis  the  body  of  the  poor  vine-dresser;"  re 
marked  the  monk,  more  accustomed  to  the  specta 
cle  than  his  companions,  who  had  shrunk  from  the 
sight ;  "  he  unwisely  slept  on  yonder  naked  rock, 
and  it  proved  to  him  the  sleep  of  death.  There 
have  been  many  masses  for  his  soul,  but  what  is 
left  of  his  material  remains  still  lie  unclaimed 
But — how  is  this  !  Pierre,  thou  hast  lately  passed 
this  place ;  what  was  the  number  of  the  bodies,  at 
thy  last  visit  ?" 

"Three,  reverend  clavier;  and  yet  the  ladies 
spoke  of  four.  I  looked  for  the  fourth  when  in  the 
building,  but  there  appeared  none  fresh,  except  this 
of  poor  Jacques  Colis." 

"  Come  hither,  and  say  if  there  do  not  appear 
to  be  two  in  the  far  corner — here,  where  the  body 
of  thy  old  comrade  the  guide  was  placed,  from 
respect  for  his  calling ;  surely,  there  at  least  is  a 
change  in  its  position  !" 

Pierre  approached,  and  taking  off  his  cap  in 
reverence,  he  leaned  forward  in  the  building,  so 
as  to  exclude  the  external  light  from  his  eyes. 

"  Father !"  he  said,  drawing  back  in  surprise, 
"there  is  truly  another;  though  I  overlooked  it 
when  we  entered  the  place." 

"  This  must  be  examined  into  !  The  crime  may 
be  greater  than  we  had  believed !" 

The  servants  of  the  convent  and  Pierre,  whose 
long  services  rendered  him  a  familiar  of  the  bro 
therhood,  now  re-entered  the  building,  while  those 
without  impatiently  awaited  the  result.  A  cry  from 
the  interior  prepared  the  latter  for  some  fresh  sub 
ject  of  horror,  when  Pierre  and  his  companion 
quickly  reappeared,  dragging  a  living  man  into  the 


406  THE    HEADSMAN. 

open  air.  When  the  light  permitted,  those  who 
knew  him  recognized  the  mild  demeanor,  the  sub 
dued  look,  and  the  uneasy,  distrustful  glance  of 
Balthazar. 

The  first  sensation  of  the  spectators  was  that 
of  open  amazement ;  but  dark  suspicion  followed. 
The  baron,  the  two  Genoese,  and  the  monk,  had 
all  been  witnesses  of  the  scene  in  the  great  square 
of  Vevey.  The  person  of  the  headsman  had  be 
come  so  well  known  to  them  by  the  passage  on 
the  lake  and  the  event  just  alluded  to,  that  there 
was  not  a  moment  of  doubt  touching  his  identity, 
and,  coupled  with  the  circumstances  of  that  morn 
ing,  there  remained  little  more  that  the  clue  was 
now  found  to  the  cause  of  the  murder. 

We  shall  not  stop  to  relate  the  particulars  of 
the  examination.  It  was  short,  reserved,  and  had 
the  character  of  an  investigation  instituted  more 
for  the  sake  of  form,  than  from  any  incertitude 
there  could  exist  on  the  subject  of  the  facts.  When 
the  necessary  inquiries  were  ended,  the  two  nobles 
mounted.  Father  Xavier  led  the  way,  and  the 
whole  party  proceeded  towards  the  summit  of  the 
pass,  leading  Balthazar  a  prisoner,  and  leaving 
the  body  of  Jacques  Colis  to  its  final  rest,  in  that 
place  where  so  many  human  forms  had  evapo 
rated  into  air  before  him,  unless  those  who  had 
felt  an  interest  in  him  in  life  should  see  fit  to  claim 
his  remains. 

The  ascent  between  the  Refuge  and  the  summit 
of  St.  Bernard  is  much  more  severe  than  on  any 
other  part  of  the  road.  The  end  of  the  convent, 
overhanging  the  northern  brow  of  the  gorge,  and 
looking  like  a  mass  of  that  ferruginous  and  melan 
choly  rock  which  gave  the  whole  region  so  wild 
and  so  unearthly  an  aspect,  soon  became  visible, 
carved  and  moulded  into  the  shape  of  a  rude 
human  habitation.  The  last  pitch  was  so  <"teep  as 


THE    HEADSMAN.  407 

to  be  formed  into  a  sort  of  stair- way,  up  which 
the  groaning  mules  toiled  with  difficulty.  This 
labor  overcome,  the  party  stood  on  the  highest 
point  of  the  pass.  Another  minute  brought  them 
to  the  door  of  the  convent. 


CHAPTEE  XXY. 

Hadst  thou  not  been  by, 

A  fellow  by  the  hand  of  nature  mark'd, 
Noted,  and  sign'd  to  do  a  deed  of  shame, 
This  murder  had  not  come  into  my  mind. 

SHAKSPEARE. 

THE  arrival  of  Sigismund's  party  at  the  hospice 
preceded  that  of  the  other  travellers  more  than  an 
hour.  They  were  received  with  the  hospitality 
with  which  all  were  then  welcomed  at  this  cele 
brated  convent ;  the  visits  of  the  curious  and  the 
vulgar  not  having  blunted  the  benevolence  of  the 
monks,  who,  mostly  accustomed  to  entertain  the 
low-born  and  ignorant,  were  always  happy  to  re 
lieve  the  monotony  of  their  solitude  by  intercourse 
with  guests  of  a  superior  class.  The  good  clavier 
had  prepared  the  way  for  their  reception ;  for  even 
on  the  wild  ridge  of  St.  Bernard,  we  do  not  fare 
the  worse  for  carrying  with  us  a  prestige  of  that 
rank  and  consideration  that  are  enjoyed  in  the 
world  below.  Although  a  mild  Christian-like  good 
will  were  manifested  to  all,  the  heiress  of  Willad- 
ing,  a  name  that  was  generally  known  and  honored 
between  the  Alps  and  the  Jura,  met  with  those 
proofs  of  'empressement  and  deference  which  betray 
the  secret  thought,  in  despite  of  conventional  forms 
and  which  told  her,  plainer  than  the  words  of  wel- 


408  THE    HEADSMAN. 

come,  that  the  retired  Augustines  were  not  sorry 
to  see  so  fair  and  so  noble  a  specimen  of  their 
species  within  their  dreary  walls. 

.411  this,  however,  was  lost  on  Sigismund.  He 
was  too  much  occupied  with  the  events  of  the 
morning  to  note  other  things ;  and,  first  commit 
ting  Adelheid  and  his  sister  to  the  care  of  their 
women,  he  went  into  the  open  air  in  order  to  await 
the  arrival  of  the  rest. 

As  it  has  been  mentioned,  the  existence  of  the 
venerable  convent  of  St.  Bernard  dates  from  a 
very  remote  period  of  Christianity.  It  stands  on 
the  very  brow  of  the  precipice  which  forms  the 
last  steep  ascent  in  mounting  to  the  Col.  The 
building  is  a  high,  narrow,  but  vast,  barrack-look 
ing  edifice,  built  of  the  ferruginous  stone  of  the 
region,  having  its  gable  placed  toward  the  Valais, 
and  its  front  stretching  in  the  direction  of  the 
gorge  in  which  it  stands.  Immediately  before  its 
principal  door,  the  rock  rises  in  an  ill-shapen  hil 
lock,  across  which  runs  the  path  to  Italy.  This  is 
literally  the  highest  point  of  the  pass,  as  the  build 
ing  itself  is  the  most  elevated  habitable  abode  in 
Europe.  At  this  spot,  the  distance  from  rock  to 
rock,  spanning  the  gorge,  may  be  a  hundred  yards, 
the  wild  and  reddish  piles  rising  on  each  side  for 
more  than  a  thousand  feet.  These  are  merely 
dwarfs,  however,  among  their  sister  piles,  several 
of  which,  in  plain  view  of  the  convent,  reach  to 
the  height  of  eternal  snow.  This  point  in  the 
road  attained,  the  path  began  immediately  to  de 
scend,  and  the  drippings  of  a  snow-bank  before 
the  convent  door,  which  had  resisted  the  greatest 
heat  of  the  past  summer,  ran  partly  into  the  val- 
tey  of  the  Rhone,  and  partly  into  Piedmont ;  the 
waters,  after  a  long  and  devious  course  through 
.he  plains  of  France  and  Italy,  meeting  again  in 
he  common  basin  of  the  Mediterranean.  The 


THE    HEADSMAN*  409 

path,  on  quitting  the  convent,  runs  between  tho 
base  of  the  rocks  on  its  right  and  a  little  limpid 
lake  on  its  left,  the  latter  occupying  nearly  the 
entire  cavity  of  the  valley  of  the  gorge,  if  then 
disappears  between  natural  palisades  of  rock,  at 
the  other  extremity  of  the  Col.  This  is  the  point 
where  the  superfluous  waters  of  the  lake  find  their 
outlet,  descending  swiftly,  in  a  brawling  little 
brook,  on  the  sunny  side  of  the  Alps.  The  frontier 
of  Italy  is  met  on  the  margin  of  the  lake,  a  long 
musket-shot  from  the  abode  of  the  Augustines,  and 
near  the  site  of  a  temple  that  the  Romans  had 
raised  in  honor  of  Jupiter,  in  his  attribute  of  di 
rector  of  storms. 

Such  was  the  outline  of  the  view  which  present 
ed  itself  to  Sigismund,  when  he  left  the  building  to 
while  away  the  time  that  must  necessarily  elapse 
before  the  arrival  of  the  rest  of  the  party.  The 
hour  was  still  early,  though  the  great  altitude  of 
the  site  of  the  convent  had  brought  it  beneath  the 
influence  of  the  sun's  rays  an  hour  before.  He 
had  learned  from  a  servant  of  the  Augustines,  that 
a  number  of  ordinary  travellers,  of  whom  in  the 
fine  season  hundreds  at  a  time  frequently  passed 
the  night  in  their  dormitories,  were  now  breaking 
their  fasts  in  the  refectory  of  the  peasants,  and  he 
was  willing  to  avoid  the  questions  that  their  curi 
osity  might  prompt  when  they  came  to  hear  what 
had  occurred  lower  down  on  the  mountain.  One 
of  the  brotherhood  was  caressing  four  or  five 
enormous  mastiffs,  that  were  leaping  about  and 
barking  with  deep  throats  in  front  of  the  convent, 
while  old  Uberto  moved  among  them  with  a  gravity 
and  respect  that  better  suited  his  years.  Perceiving 
his  guest,  the  Augustine  quitted  the  dogs,  and,  lift 
ing  his  eastern-looking  cap,  he  gave  him  the  salu 
tation  of  the  morning.  Sigismund  met  the  frank 
smile  of  the  canon,  who  like  himself  was  young 
2K 


410  THE   HEADSMAN. 

with  a  fit  return.  The  occasion  was  such  as  Sigis- 
mund  desired,  and  a  friendly  discourse  succeeded 
while  they  paced  along  the  margin  of  the  lake, 
holding  the  path  that  leads  across  the  Col. 

"  You  are  young  in  your  charitable  office,  bro 
her,"  remarked  the  soldier,  when  familiarity  was 
a  little  established.     "  This  will  be  among  the  first 
of  the  winters  you  will  have  passed  at  your  be 
nevolent  post  ?" 

"  It  will  make  the  eighth,  as  novice  and  as  canon. 
We  are  early  trained  to  this  kind  of  life,  though 
no  practice  will  enable  any  of  us  to  withstand  the 
effect  which  the  thin  air  and  intense  cold  produce 
on  the  lungs  many  winters  in  succession.  We  go 
down  to  Martigny  when  there  is  occasion,  and 
breathe  an  atmosphere  better  suited  to  man.  Thou 
hadst  an  angry  storm  below,  the  past  night  ?" 

"  So  angry,  that  we  thank  God  it  is  over,  and 
that  we  are  left  to  share  your  hospitality.  Were 
there  many  on  the  mountain  besides  ourselves,  or 
did  any  come  up  from  Italy  ?" 

"  There  were  none  but  those  who  are  now  in 
the  common  refectory,  and  none  came  from  Aoste. 
The  season  for  the  traveller  is  over.  This  is  a 
month  in  which  we  see  only  those  who  are  much 
pressed,  and  who  have  their  reasons  for  trusting 
the  weather.  In  the  summer  we  sometimes  lodge 
a  thousand  guests." 

"They  whom  ye  receive  have  reason  to  be 
thankful,  reverend  Augustine;  for,  in  sooth,  this 
does  not  seem  a  region  that  abounds  in  its  fruits." 

Sigismund  and  the  monk  looked  around  at  the 
vast  piles  of  ragged  naked  rocks,  and  they  smiled 
s  their  eyes  met. 

"  Nature  gives  literally  nothing,"  answered  the 
Augustine :  "  even  the  fuel  that  warms  us  is  trans 
ported  leagues  on  the  backs  of  mules,  and  thou 
wilt  readily  conceive  that  of  all  others  this  is  a 


THE    HEADSMAN.  411 

necessary  we  ednnot  forego.  Happily,  we  have 
some  of  our  ancient,  and  what  were  once  rich, 
endowments;  and — " 

The  young  canon  hesitated  to  proceed. 

"  You  were  about  to  say,  father,  that  they  who 
have  the  means  to  show  gratitude  are  not  always 
unmindful  of  the  wants  of  those,  who  share  the 
same  hospitality  without  possessing  the  same  ability 
to  manifest  their  respect  for  the  institution." 

The  Augustine  bowed,  and  he  turned  the  dis 
course  by  pointing  out  the  frontiers  of  Italy,  and 
the  site  of  the  ancient  temple ;  both  of  which  they 
had  this  time  reached.  An  animal  moved  among 
the  rocks,  and  attracted  their  attention. 

"  Can  it  be  a  chamois !"  exclaimed  Sigismund, 
whose  blood  began  to  quicken  with  a  hunter's 
eagerness  :  "  I  would  I  had  arms  !" 

"  It  is  a  dog,  though  not  of  our  mountain  breed ! 
The  mastiffs  of  the  convent  have  failed  in  hospi 
tality,  and  the  poor  beast  has  been  driven  to  take 
refuge  in  this  retired  spot,  in  waiting  for  his  master, 
who  probably  makes  one  of  the  party  in  the  re 
fectory.  See,  they  come ;  their  approaching  foot 
steps  have  brought  the  cautious  animal  from  his 
cover." 

Sigismund  saw,  in  truth,  that  a  party  of  three 
pedestrians  was  quitting  the  convent,  taking  the 
path  for  Italy.  A  sudden  and  painful  suspicion 
flashed  upon  his  mind.  The  dog  was  Nettuno, 
most  probably  driven  by  the  mastiffs,  as  the  monk 
had  suggested,  to  seek  a  shelter  in  this  retreat;  and 
one  of  those  who  approached,  by  his  gait  and 
stature,  was  no  other  than  his  master. 

"  Thou  knowest,  father,"  he  said,  with  a  clammy 
tongue,  for  he  was  strangely  agitated  between 
^eluctance  to  accuse  Maso  of  such  a  crime,  and 
horror  at  the  fate  of  Jacques  Colis,  "  that  there  has 
been  a  murder  on  the  mountain  ?" 


412  THE    HEADSMAN. 

The  monk  quietly  assented.  One  who  lived  on 
that  road,  and  in  that  age,  was  not  easily  excited 
by  an  event  of  so  frequent  occurrence.  Sigismund 
hastily  recounted  to  his  companion  all  the  circum 
stances  that  were  then  known  to  himself,  and  related 
the  manner  in  which  he  had  first  met  the  Italian  on 
the  lake,  and  his  general  impressions  concerning 
his  character. 

"  All  come  and  go  unquestioned  here ;"  returned 
the  Augustine,  when  the  other  had  ended.  "  Our 
convent  has  been  founded  in  charity,  and  we  pray 
for  the  sinner  without  inquiring  into  the  amount 
of  his  crime.  Still  we  have  authority,  and  it  is 
especially  our  duty,  to  keep  the  road  clear  that  our 
own  purposes  may  not  be  defeated.  I  leave  thee 
to  do  what  thou  judgest  most  prudent  and  proper 
in  a  matter  so  delicate." 

Sigismund  was  silent ;  but  as  the  pedestrians 
were  drawing  near,  his  resolution  was  soon  and 
sternly  formed.  The  obligations  that  he  owed  to 
Maso  made  him  more  prompt,  for  it  excited  a 
jealous  distrust  of  his  own  powers  to  discharge 
what  he  conceived  to  be  a  duty.  Even  those  late 
events  in  which  his  sister  was  so  wronged  had  their 
share,  too,  on  the  decision  of  a  mind  so  resolute  to 
be  upright.  Placing  himself  in  the  middle  of  the 
path,  he  awaited  the  arrival  of  the  party,  while 
the  monk  stood  quietly  at  his  side.  When  the  trav 
ellers  were  within  speaking  distance,  the  young 
man  first  discovered  that  the  companions  of  II 
Maledetto  were  Pippo  and  Conrad.  Their  several 
rencontres  had  made  him  sufficiently  acquainted 
with  the  persons  of  the  two  latter,  to  enable  him 
to  recognize  them  at  a  glance;  and  Sigismund 
began  to  think  the  undertaking  in  which  he  had 
embarked  more  grave  than  he  had  at  first  imagined. 
Should  there  be  a  disposition  to  resist,  he  was  but 
one  against  three. 


THE    HEADSMAN.  413 

"Buon  giorno,  Signer  Capitano,"  cried  Maso 
saluting  with  his  cap,  when  sufficiently  near  to 
those  who  occupied  the  path;  "we  meet  often, 
and  in  all  weathers ;  by  day  and  by  night ;  on  the 
land  and  on  the  water ;  in  the  valley  and  on  the 
mountain ;  in  the  city  and  on  this  naked  rock,  as 
Providence  wills.  As  many  chances  try  men's 
characters,  we  shall  come  to  know  each  other  in 
time !" 

"  Thou  hast  well  observed,  Maso ;  though  I  fear 
thou  art  a  man  oftener  met  than  easily  understood." 

"  Signore,  I  am  amphibious,  like  Nettuno  here, 
being  part  of  the  earth  and  part  of  the  sea.  As 
the  learned  say,  I  am  not  yet  classed.  We  are 
repaid  for  an  evil  night  by  a  fine  day ;  and  the 
descent  into  Italy  will  be  pleasanter  than  we  found 
the  coming  up.  Shall  I  order  honest  Giacomo  of 
Aoste  to  prepare  the  supper,  and  to  air  the  beds 
for  the  noble  company  that  is  to  follow?  You 
will  scarce  do  more  than  reach  his  holstery  before 
the  young  and  the  beautiful  will  begin  to  think  of 
their  pillows." 

"  Maso,  I  had  thought  thee  among  our  party, 
when  I  left  the  Refuge  this  morning  ?" 

"By  San  Thomaso !  Signore,  but  J  had  the 
same  opinion  touching  yourself!" 

"  Thou  wert  early  afoot  it  would  seem,  or  thou 
couldst  not  have  so  much  preceded  me  ?" 

"  Look  you,  brave  Signor  Sigismondo,  for  brave 
I  know  you  to  be,  and  in  the  water  a  swimmer 
little  less  determined  than  gallant  Nettuno  there — I 
am  a  traveller,  and  have  much  need  of  my  time 
which  is  the  larger  portion  of  my  property.  We 
sea-animals  are  sometimes  rich  and  sometimes 
poor,  as  the  wind  happens  to  blow,  and  of  late  I 
have  been  driven  to  struggle  with  foul  gales  ana 
troubled  waves.  To  such  a  man,  an  hour  of  in 
dustry  in  the  morning  often  gives  a  heartier  meal 
2K2 


414  THE    HEADSMAN 

and  sweeter  rest  at  night.  I  left  you  all  in  the 
Refuge  sleeping  soundly,  even  to  the  mules," — 
Maso  laughed  at  his  own  fancies,  as  he  included 
the  brutes  in  the  party, — "  and  I  reached  the  con 
vent  just  as  the  first  touch  of  the  sun  tipped  yonder 
white  peak  with  its  purple  light." 

"  As  thou  left'st  us  so  early,  thou  mayest  not 
have  heard,  then,  that  the  body  of  a  murdered  man 
was  found  in  the  bone-house — the  building  near 
that  in  which  we  slept — and  that  it  is  the  body  of 
one  known?" 

Sigismund  spoke  firmly  and  deliberately,  as  if 
he  would  come  by  degrees  to  his  purpose,  while, 
at  the  same  time,  he  made  the  other  sensible  of  his 
being  in  earnest.  Maso  started.  He  made  a  move 
ment  so  unequivocally  like  one  which  would  have 
manifested  an  intention  to  proceed,  that  the  young 
man  raised  his  hand  to  repulse  him.  But  violence 
was  unnecessary,  for  the  mariner  instantly  became 
composed,  and  seemingly  more  disposed  to  listen. 

"  Where  there  has  been  a  crime,  Maso,  there 
must  have  been  a  criminal !" 

"  The  Bishop  of  Sion  could  not  have  made 
truth  clearer  to  the  sinner  than  yourself,  Signor 
Sigismondo !  Your  manner  leads  me  to  ask  what 
I  have  to  do  with  this  ?" 

"There  has  been  a  murder,  Maso,  and  the  mur 
derer  is  sought.  The  dead  was  found  near  the 
spot  where  thou  passed  the  night ;  I  shall  not  con 
ceal  the  unhappy  suspicions  that  are  so  natural." 

"  Diamine !  where  did  you  pass  the  night  your 
self,  brave  Capitano,  if  I  may  be  so  bold  as  to 
question  my  superior ?  Where  did  the  noble  Baron 
de  Willading  take  his  rest,  and  his  fair  daughter 
and  one  nobler  and  more  illustrious  than  he,  and 
Pierre  the  guide,  and — ay,  and  our  friends,  the 
mules  again  ?" 

Maso  laughed  recklessly  once  mare,  as  he  made 


THE    HEADSMAN.  415 

this  second  allusion  to  the  patient  brutes.  Sigis 
niund  disliked  his  levity,  which  he  thought  forced 
and  unnatural. 

"  This  reasoning  may  satisfy  thee,  unfortunate 
man,  but  it  will  not  satisfy  others.  Thou  wert 
alone,  but  we  travelled  in  company ;  judging  from 
thy  exterior,  thou  art  but  little  favored  by  fortune, 
whereas  we  are  more  happy  in  this  particular; 
and  thou  hast  been,  and  art  still,  in  haste  to  depart, 
while  the  discovery  of  the  foul  deed  is  owing  to  us 
alone.  Thou  must  return  to  the  convent,  that  this 
grave  matter  may,  at  least,  be  examined." 

II  Maledetto  seemed  troubled.  Once  or  twice 
he  glanced  his  eye  at  the  quiet  athletic  frame  of 
the  young  man,  and  then  turned  them  on  the  path 
in  reflection.  Although  Sigismund  narrowly  watch 
ed  the  workings  of  his  countenance,  giving  a  little 
of  his  attention  also,  from  time  to  time,  to  the 
movements  of  Pippo  and  the  pilgrim,  he  preserved 
himself  a  perfectly  calm  exterior.  Firm  in  his 
purpose,  accustomed  to  make  extraordinary  exer 
tions  in  his  manly  exercises,  and  conscious  of  his 
great  physical  force,  he  wras  not  a  man  to  be  easily 
daunted.  It  is  true  that  the  companions  of  Maso 
conducted  themselves  in  a  way  to  excite  no  addi 
tional  apprehensions  on  their  account ;  for,  on  the 
announcement  of  the  murder,  they  moved  away 
from  his  person  a  little,  as  by  a  natural  horror  of 
the  hand  that  could  have  done  the  deed.  They 
now  consulted  together,  and  profiting  by  their  sit 
uation  behind  the  back  of  the  Italian,  they  made 
signs  to  Sigismund  of  their  readiness  to  assist  should 
it  be  necessary.  He  received  the  signal  with  sat 
isfaction;  for,  though  he  knew  them  to  be  knaves, 
he  sufficiently  understood  the  difference  between 
audacious  crime  and  mere  roguery  to  believe  they 
might,  in  this  instance  at  least,  prove  true. 

"  Thou  wilt  return  to  the  convent,  Maso,"  re* 


416  THE    HEADSMAN. 

sumed  the  young  soldier,  who  would  gladly  avoid 
a  struggle  with  a  man  who  had  done  him  and  those 
he  loved  so  much  service,  though  resolved  to  dis 
charge  what  he  conceived  to  be  an  imperious 
duty :  "  this  pilgrim  and  his  friend  will  be  of  our 
party,  in  order  that,  when  we  quit  the  mountain,  all 
may  leave  it  blameless  and  unsuspected." 

"  Signor  Sigismondo,  the  proposal  is  fair;  it  has 
a  touch  of  reason,  I  allow ;  but  unluckily  it  does 
not  suit  my  interests.  I  am  engaged  in  a  delicate 
mission,  and  too  much  time  has  been  already  lost 
by  the  way  to  waste  more  without  good  cause.  I 
have  great  pity  for  poor  Jacques  Colis — " 

"  Ha !  thou  knowest  the  sufferer's  name,  then ; 
thy  unlucky  tongue  hath  betrayed  thee,  Maso  !" 

II  Maledetto  was  again  troubled.  His  features 
betrayed  it,  for  he  frowned  like  a  man  who  had 
committed  a  grave  fault  in  a  matter  touching  an 
important  interest.  His  olive  complexion  changed, 
and  his  interrogator  thought  that  his  eye  quailed 
before  his  own  fixed  look.  But  the  emotion  was 
transient,  and  shuddering,  as  if  to  shake  off  a 
weakness,  his  appearance  became  once  more  natu 
ral  and  composed. 

"  Thou  makest  no  reply?" 

"  Signore,  you  have  my  answer ;  affairs  press, 
and  my  visit  to  the  convent  of  San  Bernardo  has 
been  made.  I  am  bound  to  Aoste,  and  should  be 
happy  to  do  your  bidding  with  the  worthy  Giacomo. 
I  have  but  a  step  to  make  to  find  myself  in,  the  do 
minions  of  the  house  of  Savoy ;  and,  with  your 
leave,  gallant  Capitano,  I  will  now  take  it." 

Maso  moved  a  little  aside  with  the  intention  to 
pass  Sigismund,  when  Pippo  and  Conrad  threw 
themselves  on  him  from  behind,  pinning  his  arms 
to  his  sides  by  main  force.  The  face  of  the  Italian 
grew  livid,  and  he  smiled  with  the  conteirpt  and 
hatred  of  an  inveterately  angered  man.  Assem 


THE    HEADSMAN.  417 

bling  all  his  force,  he  suddenly  exerted  it  with  the 
energy  and  courage  of  a  lion,  shouting — 

"  Nettuno !" 

The  struggle  was  short  but  fierce.  When  it  ter 
minated,  Pippo  lay  bleeding  among  the  rocks  with 
a  broken  head,  and  the  pilgrim  was  gasping  near 
him  under  the  tremendous  gripe  of  the  animal. 
Maso  himself  stood  firm,  though  pale  and  frowning 
like  one  who  had  collected  all  his  energies,  both 
physical  and  moral,  to  meet  this  emergency. 

"  Am  I  a  brute,  to  be  set  upon  by  the  scum  of 
the  earth?"  he  cried:  "if  thou  wouldst  aught  with 
me,  Signor  Sigismondo,  raise  thine  own  arm,  but 
strike  not  with  the  hands  of  these  base  reptiles ; 
thou  wilt  find  me  a  man,  in  strength  and  courage, 
at  least  not  unworthy  of  thyself." 

"  The  attack  on  thy  person,  Maso,  was  not 
made  by  my  order,  nor  by  my  desire,"  returned 
Sigismund,  reddening.  "I  believe  myself  suffi 
cient  to  arrest  thee;  and,  if  not,  here  come  as 
sistants  that  thou  wilt  scarce  deem  it  prudent  to 
resist." 

The  Augustine  had  stepped  on  a  rock  the  mo 
ment  the  struggle  commenced,  whence  he  made  a 
signal  which  brought  all  the  mastiffs  from  the  con 
vent.  These  powerful  animals  now  arrived  in  a 
group,  apprized  by  their  instinct  that  strife  was 
afoot.  Nettuno  immediately  released  the  pilgrim 
and  stood  at  bay ;  too  faithful  to  desert  his  master 
in  his  need,  and  yet  too  conscious  of  the  force  op 
posed  to  him  to  court  a  contest  so  unequal.  Lucki 
ly  for  the  noble  dog,  the  friendship  of  old  Ubertp- 
proved  his  protection.  When  the  younger  ani 
mals  saw  their  patriarch  disposed  to  amity,  they 
forbore  their  attack,  waiting  at  least  for  another 
signal  to  be  given.  In  the  mean  while,  Maso  had 
time  to  look  about  him,  and  to  form  his  Decision 


418  THE    HEADSMAN. 

.ess  under  the  influence  of  surprise  and  feeling  than 
had  been  previously  the  case. 

"  Signore,"  he  answered,  "  since  it  is  your  plea 
sure,  I  will  return  among  the  Augustines.  But  I 
ask,  as  simple  justice,  that,  if  I  am  to  oe  hunted 
y  dogs  as  a  beast  of  prey,  all  who  were  in  the 
ame  circumstances  as  myself  may  become  sub 
ject  to  the  same  rule.  This  pilgrim  and  the  Nea 
politan  came  up  the  mountain  yesterday,  as  well 
as  myself,  and  I  demand  their  arrest  until  they  too 
can  give  an  account  of  themselves.  It  will  not  be 
the  first  time  that  we  have  been  inhabitants  of  the 
same  prison." 

Conrad  crossed  himself  in  submission,  neither  he 
nor  Pippo  raising  any  objection  to  the  step.  On 
the  contrary,  each  frankly  admitted  it  was  no  more 
than  equitable  on  its  face. 

"  We  are  poor  travellers  on  whom  many  acci 
dents  have  already  alighted,  and  we  may  well  be 
pressed  to  reach  the  end  of  our  journey,"  said  the 
pilgrim ;  "  but,  that  justice  may  be  done,  we  shall 
submit  without  a  murmur.  I  am  loaded  with  the 
sins  of  many  besides  my  own,  however,  and  St. 
Peter  he  knows  that  the  last  are  not  light.  This 
holy  canon  will  see  that  masses  are  said  in  the 
convent  chapel  in  behalf  of  those  for  whom  I  trav 
el  ;  this  duty  done,  I  am  an  infant  in  your  hands." 

The  good  Augustine  professed  the  perfect  readi 
ness  of  the  fraternity  to  pray  for  all  who  were  in 
necessity,  with  the  single  proviso  that  they  should 
be  Christians.  With  this  amicable  understanding 
then,  the  peace  was  made  between  them,  and  the 
parties  immediately  took  the  path  that  led  back  to 
the  convent.  On  reaching  the  building,  Maso,  with 
the  two  travellers  who  had  been  found  in  his  com 
pany,  were  placed  in  safe  keeping  in  one  of  the 
rooms  of  the  solid  edifice,  until  the  return  of  the 


THE    HEADSMAN.  419 

clavier  should  enable  them  to  vindicate  their  inno 
cence. 

Satisfied  with  himself  for  the  part  he  had  acted 
in  the  late  affair,  Sigismund  strolled  into  the  chap 
el,  where,  at  that  early  hour,  some  of  the  brother 
ood  were  always  occupied  in  saying  masses  in 
behalf  of  the  souls  of  the  living  or  of  the  dead 
He  was  here  wher.  ^e  received  a  note  from  the 
Signor  Grimaldi,  ap^zing  him  of  the  arrest  of 
his  father,  and  of  the  dark  suspicions  that  were  so 
naturally  connected  with  the  transaction.  It  is 
unnecessary  to  dwell  on  the  nature  of  the  shock 
he  received  from  this  intelligence.  After  a  few 
moments  of  bitter  anguish,  he  perceived  the  ur 
gency  of  making  his  sister  acquainted  with  the 
truth  as  speedily  as  possible.  The  arrival  of  the 
party  from  the  Refuge  was  expected  every  mo 
ment,  and  by  delay  he  increased  the  risk  of  Chris 
tine's  hearing  the  appalling  fact  from  some  othei 
quarter.  He  sought  an  audience,  therefore,  with 
Adelheid,  the  instant  he  had  summoned  sufficient 
self-command  to  undertake  the  duty. 

Mademoiselle  de  Willading  was  struck  with  the 
pale  brow  and  agitated  air  of  the  young  soldier,  at 
the  first  glance  of  her  eye. 

"  Thou  hast  permitted  this  unexpected  blow  to 
affect  thee  unusually,  Sigismund,"  she  said,  smi 
ling,  and  offering  her  hand ;  for  she  felt  that  the 
circumstances  were  those  in  which  cold  and  heart 
less  forms  should  give  place  to  feeling  and  sinceri 
ty.  "  Thy  sister  is  tranquil,  if  not  happy." 

"  She  does  not  know  the  worst — she  has  yet  to 
learn  the  most  cruel  part  of  the  truth,  Adelheid ; 
they  have  found  one  concealed  among  the  dead  of 
the  bone-house,  and  are  now  leading  him  here  as 
the  murderer  of  poor  Jacques  Colis  I" 

"Another !"  said  Adelheid,  turning  pale  in  alarm 
"  we  appear  to  be  surrounded  by  assassins !" 


420  THE    HEADSMAN. 

"  No,  it  cannot  be  true !  I  know  my  poor  fa 
ther's  mildness  of  disposition  too  well ;  his  habitu 
al  tenderness  to  all  around  him ;  his  horror  at  the 
sight  of  blood,  even  for  his  odious  task !" 

"  Sigismund,  thy  father !" 

The  young  man  groaned.  Concealing  his  face 
with  his  hands,  he  sank  into  a  seat.  The  fearful 
truth,  with  all  its  causes  and  consequences,  begfcn 
to  dawn  upon  Adelheid.  Sinking  upon  a  chair 
herself,  she  sat  long  looking  at  the  convulsed  and 
working  frame  of  Sigismund  in  silent  horror.  It 
appeared  to  her,  that  Providence,  for  some  great 
but  secret  purpose,  was  disposed  to  visit  them  all 
with  more  than  a  double  amount  of  its  anger,  and 
that  a  family  which  had  been  accursed  for  so 
many  generations,  was  about  to  fill  the  measure 
of  its  woes.  Still  her  own  true  heart  did  not 
change.  On  the  contrary,  its  long-cherished  and 
secret  purpose  rather  grew  stronger  under  this 
sudden  appeal  to  its  generous  and  noble  properties, 
and  never  was  the  resolution  to  devote  herself,  her 
life,  and  all  her  envied  hopes,  to  the  solace  of  his 
unmerited  wrongs,  so  strong  and  riveted  as  at  that 
trying  moment 

In  a  little  time  Sigismund  regained  enough  self- 
command  to  be  able  to  commence  the  narrative  of 
what  had  passed.  They  then  concerted  together 
the  best  means  to  make  Christine  acquainted  with 
that  which  it  was  absolutely  necessary  she  should 
now  know. 

"  Tell  her  the  simple  truth,"  added  Sigismund , 
*  it  cannot  long  be  concealed,  and  it  were  better 
that  she  knew  it ;  but  tell  her,  also,  my  firm  de 
pendence  on  our  father's  innocence.  God,  for  one 
of  those  inscrutable  purposes  which  set  human  in 
telligence  at  defiance,  has  made  him  a  common 
executioner,  but  the  curse  has  not  extended  to  his 
nature.  Trust  me,  dearest  Adelheid,  a  more  gentle 


THE    HEADSMAN. 

dove-like  nature  does  not  exist  in  man  than  thai 
of  the  poor  Balthazar — the  despised  and  persecuted 
Balthazar.  I  have  heard  my  mother  dwell  upon 
the  nights  of  anguish  and  suffering  that  have  pre 
ceded  the  day  on  which  the  duties  of  his  office 
were  to  be  discharged ;  and  often  have  1  heard  that 
admirable  woman,  whose  spirit  is  far  more  equal 
to  support  our  unmerited  fortunes,  declare  she  has 
often  prayed  that  he  and  all  that  are  hers  might 
die,  so  that  they  died  innocently,  rather  than  one 
of  a  temper  so  gentle  and  harmless  should  again 
be  brought  to  endure  the  agony  she  had  witnessed !" 

"  It  is  unhappy  that  he  should  be  here  at  so 
luckless  a  moment !  What  unhappy  motive  cai 
have  led  thy  father  to  this  spot,  at  a  time  so  extra 
ordinary  ?" 

"  Christine  will  tell  thee  that  she  expected  to  see 
him  at  the  convent.  We  are  a  race  proscribed, 
Mademoiselle  de  Willading,  but  we  are  human." 

"  Dearest  Sigismund — " 

"  I  feel  my  injustice,  and  can  only  pray  to  be 
forgiven.  But  there  are  moments  of  feeling  so 
intense,  that  I  am  ready  to  believe  and  treat  all  of 
my  species  as  common  enemies.  Christine  is  an 
only  daughter,  and  thou  thyself,  beloved  Adelheid, 
kind,  dutiful,  and  good  as  I  know  thee  to  be,  art 
not  more  dear  to  the  Baron  de  Willading  than  my 
poor  sister  is  among  us.  Her  parents  have  yielded 
her  to  thy  generous  kindness,  for  they  believe  it 
for  her  good ;  but  their  hearts  have  been  wrung 
by  the  separation.  Thou  didst  not  know  it,  but 
Christine  took  her  last  embrace  of  her  mother  here 
on  the  mountain,  at  Liddes,  and  it  was  then  agreed 
that  her  father  should  watch  her  in  safety  over  the 
Col,  and  bestow  the  final  blessing  at  Aoste.  Ma 
demoiselle  de  Willading,  you  move  in  pride,  sur 
rounded  by  many  protectors,  who  are  honored  in 
doing  you  service ;  but  the  abased  and  the  hunte^1 
2L 


422 


THE    HEADSMAN. 


must  indulge  even  their  best  affections  stealthily, 
and  without  obtrusion !  The  love  and  tenderness 
of  Balthazar  would  pass  for  mockery  with  the 
vulgar !  Such  is  man  in  his  habits  and  opinions, 
when  wrong  usurps  the  place  of  right." 

Adelheid  saw  that  the  moment  was  not  favorable 
or  urging  consolation,  and  she  abstained  from  a 
reply.  She  rejoiced,  however,  to  hear  the  presence 
of  the  headsman  so  satisfactorily  accounted  for, 
though  she  could  not  quiet  herself  from  an  appre 
hension  that  the  universal  weakness  of  human  na 
ture,  which  so  suddenly  permits  the  perversion  of 
the  best  of  our  passions  to  the  worst,  and  the  dread 
ful  probability  that  Balthazar,  suffering  intensely 
by  this  compelled  separation  from  his  daughter,  on 
accidentally  encountering  the  man  who  was  its 
cause,  might  have  listened  to  some  violent  impulse 
of  resentment  and  revenge.  She  saw  also  that 
Sigismund,  in  despite  of  his  general  confidence  in 
the  principles  of  his  father,  had  fearful  glimmerings 
of  some  such  event,  and  that  he  fearfully  anticipated 
the  worst,  even  while  he  most  professed  confidence 
in  the  innocence  of  the  accused.  The  interview 
was  soon  ended,  and  they  separated ;  each  en 
deavoring  to  invent  plausible  reasons  for  what  had 
happened. 

The  arrival  of  the  party  from  the  refuge  took 
place  soon  afterwards.  It  was  followed  by  the 
necessary  explanations,  and  a  more  detailed  nar 
rative  of  all  that  had  passed.  A  consultation  was 
held  between  the  chiefs  of  the  brotherhood  and  the 
two  old  nobles,  and  the  course  it  was  most  expedient 
to  pursue  wras  calmly  and  prudently  discussed. 

The  result  was  not  known  for  some  hours  later 
It  was  then  generally  proclaimed  in  the  convent 
that  a  grave  and  legal  investigation  of  all  the  facts 
was  to  take  place  with  the  least  possible  delay. 

The  Col  of  St.  Bernard,  as  has  been  stated  al- 


THE    HEADSMAN.  423 

ready,  lies  within  the  limits  of  the  present  canton 
but  what  then  the  allied  state  of  the  Valais.  The 
crime  had  consequently  been  committed  within  the 
jurisdiction  of  that  country ;  but  as  the  Valais  was 
thus  leagued  with  Switzerland,  there  existed  such 
an  intimate  understanding  between  the  two,  that  it 
was  rare  any  grave  proceedings  were  had  against 
a  citizen  of  either  in  the  dominion  of  the  other, 
without  paying  great  deference  to  the  feelings  and 
the  rights  of  the  country  of  the  accused.  Messen 
gers  were  therefore  dispatched  to  Vevey,  to  inform 
the  authorities  of  that  place  of  a  transaction  which 
involved  the  safety  of  an  officer  of  the  great  can 
ton,  (for  such  was  Balthazar,)  and  which  had  cost 
a  citizen  of  Vaud  his  life.  On  the  other  hand,  a 
similar  communication  was  sent  to  Sion,  the  two 
places  being  about  equidistant  from  the  convent, 
with  such  pressing  invitations  to  the  authorities  to 
be  prompt,  as  were  deemed  necessary  to  bring  on 
an  immediate  investigation.  Melchior  deWillading, 
in  a  letter  to  his  friend  the  bailiff,  set  forth  the  in 
convenience  of  his  return  with  Adelheid  at  that 
late  season,  and  the  importance  of  the  functionary's 
testimony,  with  such  other  statements  as  were  likely 
to  effect  his  wishes ;  while  the  superior  of  the  bro 
therhood  charged  himself  with  making  representa 
tions,  with  a  similar  intent,  to  the  heads  of  his  own 
republic.  Justice  in  that  age  was  not  administered 
as  frankly  and  openly  as  in  this  later  period,  its 
agents  in  the  old  world  exercising  even  now  a  dis 
cretion  that  we  are  not  accustomed  to  see  confided 
to  them.  Her  proceedings  were  enveloped  in  dark 
ness,  the  blind  deity  being  far  more  known  in  her 
decrees  than  in  her  principles,  and  mystery  was 
then  deemed  an  important  auxiliary  of  power. 

With  this  brief  explanation  we  shall  shift  the 
Jme  to  the  third  day  from  that  on  which  the  trav- 


424  THE    HEADSMAN. 

ellers  reached  the  convent,  referring  the  reader  to 
the  succeeding  chapter  for  an  account  of  what  it 
brought  forth. 


CHAPTER  XXYL 

Anon  a  figure  enters,  quaintly  neat, 
All  pride  and  business,  bustle  and  conceit ; 
With  looks  unalter'd  by  these  scenes  of  woe, 
With  speed  that,  ent'ring,  speaks  his  haste  to  go. 
He  bids  the  gazing  throng  around  him  fly, 
And  carries  fate  and  physic  in  his  eye. 

CRABBE. 

THERE  is  another  receptacle  for  those  who  die 
on  the  Great  St.  Bernard,  hard  by  the  convent 
itself.  At  the  close  of  the  time  mentioned  in  the 
last  chapter,  and  near  the  approach  of  night,  Si- 
gismund  was  pacing  the  rocks  on  which  this  little 
chapel  stands,  buried  in  reflections  to  which  his. 
own  history  and  the  recent  events  had  given  birth. 
The  snow  that  fell  during  the  late  storm  had  en 
tirely  disappeared,  and  the  frozen  element  was  now 
visible  only  on  those  airy  pinnacles  that  form  the 
higher  peaks  of  the  Alps.  Twilight  had  already 
settled  into  the  lower  valleys,  but  the  whole  of  the 
superior  region  was  glowing  with  the  fairy-like 
lustre  of  the  last  rays  of  the  sun.  The  air  was 
chill,  for  at  that  hour  and  season,  whatever  might 
be  the  state  of  the  weather,  the  evening  invariably 
brought  with  it  a  positive  sensation  of  cold  in  the 
gorge  of  St.  Bernard,  where  frosts  prevailed  a 
mgnt,  even  in  midsummer.  Still  the  wind,  though 
strong,  was  balmy  and  soft,  blowing  athwart  the 
heated  plains  of  Lombardy,  and  reaching  the 
mountains  charged  with  the  moisture  of  the  Adri 
atic  and  the  Mediterranean.  As  the  young  man 


THE    HEADSMAN.  425 

turned  in  his  walk,  and  faced  this  breeze,  it  came 
over  his  spirit  with  a  feeling  of  hope  and  home. 
The  greater  part  of  his  life  had  been  past  in  the 
sunny  country  whence  it  blew,  and  there  were 
moments  when  he  was  lulled  into  forgetfulness,  by 
the  grateful  recollections  imparted  by  its  fragrance. 
But  when  compelled  to  turn  northward  again,  and 
his  eye  fell  on  the  misty  hoary  piles  that  distinguish 
ed  his  native  land,  rude  and  ragged  faces  of  rock, 
frozen  glaciers,  and  deep  ravine-like  valleys  and 
glens,  seemed  to  him  to  be  types  of  his  own  stormy, 
unprofitable,  and  fruitless  life,  and  to  foretell  a 
career  which,  though  it  might  have  touches  of 
grandeur,  was  doomed  to  be  barren  of  all  that  is 
genial  and  consolatory. 

All  in  and  about  the  convent  was  still.  The  moun 
tain  had  an  imposing  air  of  deep  solitude  amid  the 
wildest  natural  magnificence.  Few  travellers  had 
passed  since  the  storm,  and,  luckily  for  those  who, 
under  the  peculiar  circumstances  in  which  they 
were  placed,  so  much  desired  privacy,  all  of  these 
had  diligently  gone  their  several  ways.  None 
were  left,  therefore,  on  the  Col,  but  those  who  had 
an  interest  in  the  serious  investigations  which  were 
about  to  take  place.  An  officer  of  justice  from 
Sion,  wearing  the  livery  of  the  Valais,  appeared 
at  a  window,  a  sign  that  the  regular  authorities  of 
the  country  had  taken  cognizance  of  the  murder ; 
but  disappearing,  the  young  man,  to  all  external  ap 
pearance,  was  left  in  the  solitary  possession  of  the 
pass.  Even  the  dogs  had  been  kennelled,  and  the 
pious  monks  were  healthfully  occupied  in  the  reli 
gious  offices  of  the  vespers. 

Sigismund  turned  his  eye  upward  to  the  apart 
ment  in  which  Adelheid  and  his  sister  dwelt,  but 
as  the  solemn  moment  in  which  so  much  was  to  be 
decided  drew  nearer,  they  also  had  withdrawn 
into  themselves,  ceasing  to  hold  communion,  even 
2L2 


426  THE    HEADSMAN. 

oy  means  of  the  eyes,  with  aught  that  might  divert 
their  holy  and  pure  thoughts  from  ceaseless  and 
intense  devotional  reflections.     Until  now  he  had 
been  occasionally  favored  with  an  answering  and 
kind  look  from  one  or  the  other  of  these  single 
hearted  and  affectionate  girls,  both  of  whom  h 
so  warmly  loved,  though  with  sentiments  so  differ 
ent.     It  seemed  that  they  too  had  at  last  left  him 
to  his  isolated  and  hopeless  existence.     Sensible 
that  this  passing  thought  was  weak  and  unmanly, 
the  young  man  renewed  his  walk,  and,  instead  of 
turning  as  before,  he  moved  slowly  on,  stopping 
only  when  he  had  reached  the  opening  of  the  little 
chapel  of  the  dead. 

Unlike  the  building  lower  down  the  path,  the 
bone-house  at  the  convent  is  divided  into  two  apart 
ments  ;  the  exterior,  and  one  that  may  be  called 
the  interior,  though  both  are  open  to  the  weather. 
The  former  contained  piles  of  disjointed  human 
bones,  bleached  by  the  storms  that  beat  in  at  the 
windows,  while  the  latter  is  consecrated  to  the 
covering  of  those  that  still  preserve,  in  their  out 
ward  appearance  at  least,  some  of  the  more  fa 
miliar  traces  of  humanity.  The  first  had  its  usual 
complement  of  dissevered  and  confounded  frag 
ments,  in  which  the  remains  of  young  and  old,  of 
the  two  sexes,  the  fierce  and  the  meek,  the  peni 
tent  and  the  sinner,  lay  in  indiscriminate  confusion 
— an  eloquent  reproach  to  the  pride  of  man ;  while 
the  walls  of  the  last  supported  some  twenty  black 
ened  and  shrivelled  effigies  of  the  race,  to  show 
to  what  a  pass  of  disgusting  and  frightful  deform 
ity  the  human  form  can  be  reduced,  when  de 
prived  of  that  noble  principle  which  likens  it  to  it 
Divine  Creator.  On  a  table,  in  the  centre  of  a 
group  of  black  and  grinning  companions  in  mis 
fortune,  sat  all  that  was  icft  of  Jacques  Colis,  who 
iad  been  removed  from  the  bone-house  below  to 


THE    HEADSMAN.  427 

this  at  the  convent  for  purposes  connected  with  the, 
coming  investigation.  The  body  was  accidentally 
placed  in  such  an  attitude  that  the  face  was  brought 
within  the  line  of  the  parting  light,  while  it  had  no 
other  covering  than  the  clothes  worn  by  the  mur 
ered  man  in  life.  Sigismund  gazed  long  at  the 
allid  lineaments.  They  were  still  distorted  with 
the  agony  produced  by  separating  the  soul  from 
the  body.  All  feeling  of  resentment  for  his  sister's 
wrongs  was  lost  in  pity  for  the  fate  that  had  so 
suddenly  overtaken  one,  in  whom  the  passions,  the 
interests,  and  the  complicated  machinery  of  this 
state  of  being,  were  so  actively  at  work.  Then 
came  the  bitter  apprehension  that  his  own  father, 
in  a  moment  of  ungovernable  anger,  excited  by 
the  accumulated  wrongs  that  bore  so  hard  on  him 
and  his,  might  really  have  been  the  instrument  of 
effecting  the  fearful  and  sudden  change.  Sicken 
ing  with  the  thought,  the  young  man  turned  and 
walked  away  towards  the  brow  of  the  declivity. 
Voices,  ascending  to  his  ear,  recalled  him  to  the 
actual  situation  of  things. 

A  train  of  mules  were  climbing  the  last  acclivity 
where  the  path  takes  the  broken  precipitous  ap 
pearance  of  a  flight  of  steps.  The  light  was  still 
sufficient  to  distinguish  the  forms  and  general  ap 
pearance  of  the  travellers.  Sigismund  immediate 
ly  recognized  them  to  be  the  bailiff  of  Vevey  and 
his  attendants,  for  whose  arrival  the  formal  pro 
ceedings  of  the  examination  had  alone  been  stayed. 
"  A  fair  evening,  Herr  Sigismund,  and  a  happy 
meeting,"  cried  Peterchen,  so  soon  as  his  weary 
mule,  which  frequently  halted  under  its  unwieldy 
urthen,  had  brought  him  within  hearing.  "  Little 
did  I  think  to  see  thee  again  so  quickly,  and  less 
still  to  lay  eyes  on  this  holy  convent ;  for  though 
the  traveller  might  have  returned  in  thy  person 
nothing  short  of  a  miracle — "  Here  the  bailiff 


428  THE    HEADSMAN. 

winked,  for  he  was  one  of  those  Protestants  whose 
faith  was  most  manifested  in  these  side-hits  at  the 
opinions  and  practices  of  Rome, — "  Nothing  but  a 
miracle,  I  say,  and  that  too  a  miracle  of  some  saint 
whose  bones  have  been  drying  these  ten  thousand 
years,  until  every  morsel  of  our  weak  flesh  has 
fairly  disappeared,  could  bring  down  old  St.  Ber 
nard's  abode  upon  the  shores  of  the  Leman.  1 
have  known  many  who  have  left  Vaud  to  cross 
the  Alps  come  back  and  winter  in  Vevey;  but 
never  did  I  know  the  stone  that  was  placed  upon 
another,  in  a  workman-like  manner,  quits  its  bed 
without  help  from  the  hand  of  man.  They  say 
stones  are  particularly  hard-hearted,  and  yet  your 
saint  and  miracle-monger  hath  a  way  to  move 
them !" 

Peterchen  chuckled  at  his  own  pleasantry,  as 
men  in  authority  are  apt  to  enjoy  that  which 
comes  exclusively  of  their  own  cleverness,  and  he 
winked  round  among  his  followers,  as  if  he  would 
invite  them  to  bear  witness  to  the  rap  he  had  given 
the  Papists,  even  on  their  own  exclusive  ground. 
When  the  platform  of  the  Col  was  attained,  he 
checked  the  mule  and  continued  his  address,  for 
want  of  wind  had  nipped  his  wit,  as  it  might  be,  in 
the  bud. 

"A  bad  business  this,  Herr  Sigismund;  a  tho 
roughly  bad  affair.  It  has  drawn  me  far  from 
home,  at  a  ticklish  season,  and  it  has  unexpectedly 
stopped  the  Herr  von  Willading  (he  spoke  in  Ger 
man)  in  his  journey  over  the  mountains,  and  that, 
too,  at  a  moment  when  all  had  need  be  diligent 
among  the  Alps.  How  does  the  keen  air  of  the 
Col  agree  with  the  fair  Adelheid  ?" 

"  God  be  thanked,  Herr  Bailiff,  in  bodily  health 
that  excellent  young  lady  was  never  better." 

"  God  be  thanked,  right  truly !  She  is  a  tender 
flower,  and  one  that  might  be  suddenly  cut  off  b> 


THE    HEADSMAN.  429 

the  frosts  of  St  Bernard.  And  the  noble  Genoese 
who  travels  with  so  much  modest  simplicity,  in  a 
way  to  reprove  the  vain  and  idle — I  hope  he  does 
not  miss  the  sun  among  our  rocks  ?" 

"  He  is  an  Italian,  and  must  think  of  us  and  our 
climate  according  to  his  habits ;  though  in  the  way 
of  health  he  seems  at  his  ease." 

"Well,  this  is  consolatory!  Herr  Sigismund, 
were  the  truth  known,"  rejoined  Peterchen,  bend 
ing  as  far  forward  on  his  mule  as  a  certain  pro 
tuberance  of  his  body  would  permit,  and  then  sud 
denly  drawing  himself  up  again  in  reserve — "but 
a  state  secret  is  a  state  secret,  and  least  of  all 
should  it  escape  one  who  is  truly  and  legitimately 
a  child  of  the  state.  My  love  and  friendship  for 
Melchior  von  Willading  are  great,  and  of  right 
excellent  quality;  but  I  should  not  have  visited 
this  pass,  were  it  not  to  do  honor  to  our  guest  the 
Genoese.  I  would  not  that  the  noble  stranger  went 
down  from  our  hills  with  an  unsavory  opinion  of 
our  hospitality.  Hath  the  honorable  Chatelain 
from  Sion  reached  the  hill  ?" 

"  He  has  been  among  us  since  the  turn  of  the 
day,  mein  Herr,  and  is  now  in  conference  with 
those  you  have  just  named,  on  matters  connected 
with  the  object  of  your  common  visit." 

"  He  is  an  honest  magistrate !  and  like  ourselves, 
Master  Sigismund,  he  comes  of  the  pure  German 
root,  which  is  a  foundation  to  support  merit,  though 
it  might  better  be  said  by  another.  Had  he  a  com 
fortable  ride?" 

"  I  have  heard  no  complaint  of  his  ascent." 

'*  'T  is  well.  When  the  magistrate  goes  forth  to 
do  justice,  he  hath  a  right  to  look  for  a  fair  time. 
All  are  then  comfortable; — the  noble  Genoese,  the 
honorable  Melchior,  and  the  worthy  Chatelain. — 
And  Jacques  Colis  ?" 

You  know  his  unhappy  fate,  Herr  Bailiff,"  re- 


430 


THE    HEADSMAN. 


turned  Sigismund  briefly ;  for  he  was  a  little  vexed 
with  the  other's  phlegm  in  a  matter  that  so  nearly 
touched  his  own  feelings. 

"  If  I  did  not  know  it,  Herr  Steinbach,  dost  think 
I  should  now  be  here,  instead  of  preparing  for  a 
warm  bed  near  the  great  square  of  Vevey  1  Poor 
Jacques  Colis !  Well,  he  did  the  ceremonies  of 
the  abbaye  an  ill  turn  in  refusing  to  buckle  with 
the  headsman's  daughter,  but  I  do  not  know 
that  he  at  all  deserved  the  fate  with  which  he 
has  met." 

"  God  forbid  that  any  who  were  hurt,  and  that 
perhaps  not  without  reason,  by  his  want  of  faith, 
should  think  his  weakness  merited  a  punishment 
so  heavy!" 

"  Thou  speakest  like  a  sensible  youth,  a  very 
sensible  youth — ay,  and  like  a  Christian,  Herr  Si 
gismund,"  answered  Peterchen,  "and  I  approve  of 
thy  words.  To  refuse  to  wive  a  maiden  and  to 
be  murdered  are  very  different  offences,  and  should 
not  be  confounded.  Dost  think  these  Augustines 
keep  kirschwasser  among  their  stores?  It  is 
strong  work  to  climb  up  to  their  abode,  and  strong 
toil  needs  strong  drink.  Well,  should  they  not  be 
go  provided,  we  must  make  the  best  of  their  other 
liquors.  Herr  Sigismund,  do  me  the  favor  to  lend 
me  thy  arm." 

The  bailiff  now  alighted  with  stiffened  limbs, 
and,  taking  the  arm  of  the  other,  he  moved  slowly 
toward  the  building. 

"  It  is  damnable  to  bear  malice,  and  doubly 
damnable  to  bear  malice  against  the  dead !  There 
fore  I  beg  you  to  take  notice  that  I  have  quite  for 
gotten  the  recent  conduct  of  the  deceased  in  the 
matter  of  our  public  games,  as  it  becomes  an  im 
partial  and  upright  judge  to  do.  Poor  Jacques 
Colis!  Ah,  death  is  awful  at  any  time,  but  it  is  ten 
fold  terrible  to  die  in  this  sudden  manner,  post- 


THE    HEADSMAN.  431 

haste  as  it  were,  and  that,  too,  on  a  path  where 
we  put  one  foot  before  the  other  with  so  much 
bodily  pain.  This  is  the  ninth  visit  I  have  made 
the  Augustines,  and  I  cannot  flatter  the  holy  monks 
on  the  subject  of  their  roads,  much  as  I  wish 
them  well.  Is  the  reverend  clavier  back  at  his 
post  again?" 

"  He  is,  and  has  been  active  in  taking  the  usuai 
examinations." 

"  Activity  is  his  strong  property,  and  he  needs 
be  that,  Herr  Steinbach,  who  passeth  the  life  of  a 
mountaineer.  The  noble  Genoese,  and  my  an 
cient  friend  Melchior,  and  his  fair  daughter  the 
beautiful  Adelheid,  and  the  equitable  Chatelain, 
thou  sayest,  are  all  fairly  reposed  and  comfort 
able?" 

"  Herr  Bailiff,  they  have  reason  to  thank  God 
that  the  late  storm  and  their  mental  troubles  have 
done  them  no  harm." 

"  So — I  would  these  Augustines  kept  kirschwas- 
ser  among  their  liquors  !" 

Peterchen  entered  the  convent,  where  his  pres 
ence  alone  was  wanting  to  proceed  to  business. 
The  mules  were  housed,  the  guides  received  as 
usual  in  the  building,  and  then  the  preparations 
for  the  long-delayed  examinations  were  seriously 
commenced. 

It  has  already  been  mentioned  that  the  frater 
nity  of  St.  Bernard  was  of  very  ancient  origin.  It 
was  founded  in  the  year  962,  by  Bernard  de  Men- 
thon,  an  Augustine  canon  of  Aoste  in  Piedmont, 
for  the  double  purposes  of  bodily  succor  and  spi 
ritual  consolation.  The  idea  of  establishing  a  re- 
igious  community  in  the  midst  of  savage  rocks, 
and  at  the  highest  point  trod  by  the  foot  of  a  man, 
was  worthy  of  Christian  self-denial  and  a  benevo 
lent  philanthropy.  The  experiment  appears  to 
have  succeeded  in  a  degree  that  is  commensurate 


432  THE    HEADSMAN. 

with  its  noble  intention ;  for  centuries  have  gone 
by,  civilization  has  undergone  a  thousand  changes, 
empires  have  been  formed  and  upturned,  thrones 
destroyed,  and  one-half  the  world  has  been  res 
cued  from  barbarism,  while  this  piously-founded 
edifice  still  remains  in  its  simple  and  respectable 
usefulness  where  it  was  first  erected,  the  refuge 
of  the  traveller  and  a  shelter  for  the  poor. 

The  convent  buildings  are  necessarily  vast,  but, 
as  all  its  other  materials  had  to  be  transported  to 
the  place  it  occupies  on  the  backs  of  mules,  they 
are  constructed  chiefly  of  the  ferruginous,  hoary- 
looking  stones  that  were  quarried  from  the  native 
rock.  The  cells  of  the  monks,  the  long  corridors, 
refectories  for  the  different  classes  of  travellers, 
and  suited  to  the  numbers  of  the  guests,  as  well  as 
those  for  the  canons  and  their  servants,  and  lodg 
ing  rooms  of  different  degrees  of  magnitude  and 
convenience,  with  a  chapel  of  some  antiquity  and 
of  proper  size,  composed  then,  as  now,  the  inter 
nal  arrangements.  There  is  no  luxury,  some  com 
fort  in  behalf  of  those  in  whom  indulgence  has 
become  a  habit,  and  much  of  the  frugal  hospitality 
that  is  addressed  to  the  personal  wants  and  the 
decencies  of  life.  Beyond  this,  the  building,  the 
entertainment,  and  the  brotherhood,  are  marked 
by  a  severe  monastic  self-denial,  which  appears  to 
have  received  a  character  of  barren  and  stern 
simplicity  from  the  unvarying  nakedness  of  all 
that  meets  the  eye  in  that  region  of  frost  and 
sterility. 

We  shall  not  stop  to  say  much  of  the  little  cour 
tesies  and  the  ceremonious  asseverations  of  mutua* 
good-will  and  respect  that  passed  between  the 
Bailiff  of  Vevey  and  the  Prior  of  St.  Bernard,  on 
the  occasion  of  their  present  meeting.  Peterchen 
was  known  to  the  brotherhood,  and,  though  a  Pro 
testant,  and  one  too  that  did  not  forbear  to  deliver 


THE    HEADSMAN.  433 

his  jest  or  his  witticism  against  Rome  and  its  flock 
at  will,  he  was  sufficiently  well  esteemed.  In  all 
the  quetes,  or  collections  of  the  convent,  the  well- 
meaning  Bernois  had  really  shown  himself  a  man 
of  bowels,  and  one  that  was  disposed  to  favor  hu 
manity,  even  while  it  helped  the  cause  of  his  arch 
nemy,  the  Pope.  The  clavier  was  always  well 
received,  not  only  in  his  bailiwick  but  in  his  cha 
teau,  and  in  spite  of  numberless  little  skirmishes 
on  doctrine  and  practice,  they  always  met  with  a 
welcome  and  generally  parted  in  peace.  This 
feeling  of  amity  and  good-will  extended  to  the 
superior  and  to  all  the  others  of  the  holy  commu 
nity,  for  in  addition  to  a  certain  heartiness  of  char 
acter  in  the  bailiff,  there  was  mutual  interest  to 
maintain  it.  At  the  period  of  which  we  write, 
the  vast  possessions  with  which  the  monks  of  St. 
Bernard  had  formerly  been  endowed  were  already 
much  reduced  by  sequestrations  in  different  coun 
tries,  that  of  Savoy  in  particular,  and  they  were 
reduced  then,  as  now,  to  seek  supplies  to  meet  the 
constant  demands  of  travellers  in  the  liberality  of 
the  well-disposed  and  charitable ;  and  the  liberal 
ity  of  Peterchen  was  thought  to  be  cheaply  pur 
chased  by  his  jokes,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  he 
had  so  many  occasions,  either  in  his  own  person 
or  those  of  his  friends,  to  visit  the  convent,  that 
he  always  forbore  to  push  contention  to  a  quarrel. 

•'  Welcome  again,  Herr  Bailiff,  and  for  the  ninth 
time  welcome !"  continued  the  Prior,  as  he  took 
the  hand  of  Peterchen,  leading  the  way  to  his  own 
private  parlor ;  "  thou  art  always  a  welcome  guest 
on  the  mountain,  for  we  know  that  we  entertain  at 
least  a  friend." 

"And  a  heretic,"  added  Peterchen,   laughing 

with  all  his  might,  though  he  uttered  a  joke  which 

he  now  repeated  for  the  ninth  time.     "  We  have 

met  often,  Herr  Prior,  and  I  hope  we  shall  meot 

2M 


434  THE    HEADSMAN. 

finally,  after  all  our  clambering  of  mountains,  as  well 
as  our  clambering  after  worldly  benefits,  is  ended, 
and  that  where  honest  men  come  together,  in  spite 
of  Pope  or  Luther,  books,  sermons,  aves,  or  devils  ! 
This  thought  cheers  me  whenever  I  offer  thee  my 
hand,"  shaking  that  of  the  other  with  a  hearty 
good-will ;  "  for  I  should  not  like  to  think,  Father 
Michael,  that,  when  we  set  out  on  the  last  long 
journey,  we  are  to  travel  for  ever  in  different  ways. 
Thou  may'st  tarry  awhile,  if  thou  seest  fit,  in  thy 
purgatory,  which  is  a  lodging  of  thine  own  inven 
tion,  and  should  therefore  suit  thee,  but  I  trust  to 
continue  on,  until  fairly  housed  in  heaven,  miserable 
and  unhappy  sinner  that  I  am !" 

Peterchen  spoke  in  the  confident  voice  of  one 
accustomed  to  utter  his  sentiments  to  inferiors,  who 
either  dared  not,  or  did  not  deem  it  wise,  to  dispute 
his  oracles;  and  he  ended  with  another  deep- 
mouthed  laugh,  that  filled  the  vaulted  apartment 
of  the  smiling  prior  to  the  ceiling.  Father  Michae 
took  all  in  good  part,  answering,  as  was  his  wont, 
in  mildness  and  good-tempered  charity;  for  he 
was  a  priest  of  much  learning,  deep  reflection,  and 
rebuked  opinions.  The  community  over  which  he 
presided  was  so  far  worldly  in  its  object  as  to  keep 
the  canons  in  constant  communion  with  men,  and 
he  would  not  now  have  met  for  the  first  time  one 
of  those  self-satisfied,  authoritative,  boisterous,  well- 
meaning  beings,  of  whose  class  Peterchen  formed 
so  conspicuous  a  member,  had  this  been  the  first 
of  the  bailiff's  visits  to  the  Col.  As  it  was,  how 
ever,  the  Prior  not  only  understood  the  species, 
but  he  well  knew  the  individual  specimen,  and  he 
was  well  enough  disposed  to  humor  the  noisy  plea 
santry  of  his  companion.  Disburthened  of  his  super 
fluous  clothing,  delivered  of  his  introductory  jokes, 
and  having  achieved  his  salutations  to  the  several 
canons,  with  suitable  words  of  recognition  to  the 


THE    HEADSMAN.  435 

three  or  four  novices  who  were  usually  found  on 
the  mountain,  Peterchen  declared  his  readiness  to 
enter  on  the  duty  of  what  the  French  call  restora 
tion.  This  want  had  been  foreseen,  and  the  Prior 
led  the  way  to  a  private  refectory,  where  pre 
parations  had  been  made  for  a  sufficient  supper, 
the  bailiff  being  very  generally  known  to  be  a  huge 
feeder. 

"  Thou  wilt  not  fare  as  well  as  in  thy  warm  and 
cheerful  town  of  Vevey,  which  outdoes  most  of 
Italy  in  its  pleasantness  and  fruits ;  but  thou  shalt, 
at  least,  drink  of  thine  own  warm  wines,"  observed 
vhe  superior,  as  they  went  along  the  corridor ;  "  and 
a  right  goodly  company  awaits  thee,  to  share  not 
only  thy  repast  but  thy  good  companionship." 

"Hast  ever  a  drop  "of  kirschwasser,  brother 
Michael,  in  thy  convent  ?" 

"  We  have  not  only  that,  but  we  have  the  Baron 
de  Willading,  and  a  noble  Genoese  who  is  in  his 
company ;  they  are  ready  to  set  to,  the  moment 
they  can  see  thy  face." 

"  A  noble  Genoese  !" 

"  An  Italian  gentleman,  of  a  certainty ;  I  think 
they  call  him  a  Genoese." 

Peterchen  stopped,  laid  a  finger  on  his  nose,  and 
looked  mysterious ;  but  he  forbore  to  speak,  for, 
by  the  open  simple  countenance  of  the  monk,  he 
saw  that  the  other  had  no  suspicion  of  his  meaning, 

"  I  will  hazard  my  office  of  bailiff  against  that 
of  thy  worthy  clavier,  that  he  is  just  what  he 
seemeth, — that  is  to  say,  a  Genoese !" 

"  The  risk  will  not  be  great,  for  so  he  has  already 
announced  himself.  We  ask  no  questions  here 
and  be  he  who  or  what  he  may,  he  is  welcome  to 
come,  and  welcome  to  depart,  in  peace." 

"  Ay,  this  is  well  enough  for  an  Augustine  on  the 
top  of  the  Alps, — he  hath  attendants  ?" 

"  A  menial  and  a  friend ;  the  latter,  however,  left 


436  THE   HEADSMAN. 

the  convent  for  Italy,  when  the  noble  Genoese  de 
termined  to  remain  until  this  inquiry  was  over 
There  was  something  said  of  heavy  affairs  which 
required  that  some  explanations  of  the  delay  should 
be  sent  to  others." 

Peterchen  again  looked  steadily  at  the  Prior, 
smiling,  as  in  pity,  of  his  ignorance. 

"  Look  thou,  good  Prior,  much  as  I  love  thee 
and  thy  convent,  and  Melchior  von  Willading  and 
his  daughter,  I  would  have  spared  myself  this 
journey,  but  for  that  same  Genoese.  Let  there  be 
no  questions,  however,  between  us :  the  proper 
time  to  speak  will  come,  and  God  forbid  that  I 
should  be  precipitate !  Thou  shalt  then  see  in  what 
manner  a  bailiff  of  the  great  canton  can  acquit 
himself!  At  present  we  will  trust  to  thy  prudence. 
The  friend  hath  gone  to  Italy  in  haste,  that  the 
delay  may  not  create  surprise !  Well,  each  one  to 
his  humor  on  the  highway :  it  is  mine  to  journey 
in  honor  and  security,  though  others  may  have  a 
different  taste.  Let  there  be  little  said,  good 
Michael:  not  so  much  as  an  imprudent  look  of  the 
eye; — and  now,  o'  Heaven's  sake,  thy  glass  of 
kirschwasser !" 

They  were  at  the  door  of  the  refectory,  and  the 
conversation  ceased.  On  entering,  Peterchen  found 
his  friend  the  baron,  the  Signor  Grimaldi,  and  the 
chatelain  of  Sion,  a  grave  ponderous  dignitary  of 
justice,  of  German  extraction  like  himself  and  the 
Prior,  but  whose  race,  from  a  long  residence  on 
the  confines  of  Italy,  had  imbibed  some  peculiarities 
of  the  southern  character.  Sigismund  and  all  the 
rest  of  the  travellers  were  precluded  from  joining 
the  repast,  to  which  it  was  the  intention  of  the 
prudent  canons  to  give  a  semi-official  character. 

The  meeting  between  Peterchen  and  those  who 
had  so  lately  quitted  Vevey  was  not  distinguished 
by  any  extraordi  nary  movements  of  courtesy ;  but 


THE    HEADSMAN.  437 

that  between  the  bailiff  and  the  chatelain,  who  re 
presented  the  authorities  of  friendly  and  adjoining 
states,  was  marked  by  a  profusion  of  politic  and 
diplomatic  civilities.  Various  personal  and  public 
inquiries  were  exchanged,  each  appearing  to  strive 
to  outdo  the  other  in  manifesting  interest  in  the 
smallest  details  on  those  points  in  which  it  was 
proper  for  a  stranger  to  feel  an  interest.  Though 
the  distance  between  the  two  capitals  was  fully 
fifteen  leagues,  every  foot  of  the  ground  was  trav 
elled  over  by  one  or  the  other  of  the  parties,  either 
in  commendation  of  its  beauties,  or  in  questions 
that  touched  its  interests. 

"  We  come  equally  of  Teutonic  fathers,  Herr 
Chatelain,"  concluded  the  bailiff,  as  the  whole  party 
placed  themselves  at  table,  after  the  reverences 
and  homages  were  thoroughly  exhausted,  "  though 
Providence  has  cast  our  fortunes  in  different  coun 
tries.  I  swear  to  thee,  that  the  sound  of  thy  German 
is  music  to  my  ears !  Thou  hast  wonderfully  es 
caped  corruptions,  though  compelled  to  consort  so 
much  with  the  bastards  of  Romans,  Celts,  and 
Burgundians,  of  whom  thou  hast  so  many  in  this 
portion  of  thy  states.  It  is  curious  to  observe," — 
for  Peterchen  had  a  little  of  an  antiquarian  flavor 
among  the  other  crude  elements  of  his  character 
— "  that  whenever  a  much-trodden  path  traverses 
a  country,  its  people  catch  the  blood  as  well  as  the 
opinions  of  those  who  travel  it,  after  the  manner 
that  tares  are  scattered  and  sown  by  the  passing 
winds.  Here  has  the  St.  Bernard  been  a  thorough 
fare  since  the  time  of  the  Romans,  and  thou  wilt 
find  as  many  races  among  those  who  dwell  on  the 
way-side  as  there  are  villages  between  the  convent 
and  Vevey.  It  is  not  so  with  you  of  the  Upper 
Valais,  Herr  Chatelain  ;  there  the  pure  race  exists 
.is  it  came  from  the  other  side  of  the  Rhine,  and 
2M2 


438  THE    HEADSMAN. 

Honored  and  preserved  may  it  continue  for  another 
thousand  years !" 

There  are  few  people  so  debased  in  their  own 
opinion  as  not  to  be  proud  of  their  peculiar  origin 
and  character.  The  habit  of  always  viewing  our 
selves,  our  motives,  and  even  our  conduct,  on  the 
favorable  side,  is  the  parent  of  self-esteem ;  and 
this  weakness,  carried  into  communities,  common 
ly  gets  to  be  the  cause  of  a  somewhat  fallacious 
gauge  of  merit  among  the  population  of  entire 
countries.  The  chatelain,  Melchior  de  Willading, 
and  the  Prior,  all  of  whom  came  from  the  same 
Teutonic  root,  received  the  remark  complacently; 
for  each  felt  it  an  honor  to  be  descended  from  such 
ancestors ;  while  the  more  polished  and  artificial 
Italian  succeeded  in  concealing  the  smile  that,  on 
such  an  occasion,  would  be  apt  to  play  about  the 
mouth  of  a  man  whose  parentage  ran,  through  a 
long  line  of  sophisticated  and  politic  nobles,  into 
the  consuls  and  patricians  of  Rome,  and  most  prob 
ably,  through  these  again  into  the  wily  and  in 
genious  Greek,  a  root  distinguished  for  civilization 
when  these  patriarchs  of  the  north  lay  buried  in 
the  depths  of  barbarism. 

This  little  display  of  national  vanity  ended,  the 
discourse  took  a  more  general  turn.  Nothing  oc 
curred  during  the  entertainment,  however,  to  de 
note  that  any  of  the  company  bethought  him  of  the 
business  on  which  they  had  met.  But,  just  as  twi 
light  failed,  and  the  repast  was  ended,  the  Prioi 
invited  his  guests  to  lend  their  attention  to  the  mat 
ter  in  hand,  recalling  them  from  their  friendly 
attacks,  their  time-worn  jokes,  and  their  attenuated 
logic,  in  all  of  which  Peterchen,  Melchior,  and  the 
chatelain  had  indulged  with  some  freedom,  to  a 
question  involving  the  life  or  death  of  at  least  one 
of  their  fellow-creatures. 

The  subordinates  of  the  convent  were  occupied 


THE    HEADSMAN.  439 

during  the  supper  with  the  arrangements  that  had 
been  previously  commanded;  and  when  Father 
Michael  arose  and  intimated  to  his  companions  that 
their  presence  was  now  expected  elsewhere,  he 
led  them  to  a  place  that  had  been  completely  pre 
pared  for  their  reception. 


CHAPTER  XXYII. 

Was  ever  tale 
With  such  a  gallant  modesty  rehearsed  1 

HOME. 

PURPOSES  of  convenience,  as  well  as  others  that 
were  naturally  connected  with  the  religious  opin 
ions,  not  to  say  the  superstitions,  of  most  of  the 
prisoners,  had  induced  the  monks  to  select  the 
chapel  of  the  convent  for  the  judgment-hall.  This 
consecrated  part  of  the  edifice  was  of  sufficient 
size  to  contain  all  who  were  accustomed  to  assem 
ble  within  its  walls.  It  was  decorated  in  the  man 
ner  that  is  usual  to  churches  of  the  Romish  per 
suasion,  having  its  master-altar,  and  two  of  small 
er  size  that  were  dedicated  to  esteemed  saints.  A 
large  lamp  illuminated  the  place,  though  the  great 
altar  lay  in  doubtful  light,  leaving  play  for  the 
imagination  to  people  and  adorn  that  part  of  the 
chapel.  Within  the  railing  of  the  choir  there  stood 
a  table :  it  held  some  object  that  was  concealed 
from  view  by  a  sweeping  pall.  Immediately  be 
neath  the  lamp  was  placed  another,  which  served 
the  purposes  of  the  clavier,  who  acted  as  a  clerk 
on  this  occasion.  They  who  were  to  fill  the  offices 
of  judges  took  their  stations  near.  A  knot  of  females 
were  clustered  within  the  shadows  of  one  of  tho 


440  THE    HEADSMAN. 

side-altars,  hovering  around  each  other  in  the  way 
that  their  sensitive  sex  is  known  to  interpose  be 
tween  the  exhibition  of  its  peculiar  weaknesses 
and  the  rude  observations  of  the  world.  Stifled 
sobs  and  convulsive  movements  occasionally  es 
caped  this  little  group  of  acutely  feeling  and  warm 
hearted  beings,  betraying  the  strength  of  the  emo 
tions  they  would  fain  conceal.  The  canons  and 
novices  were  ranged  on  one  side,  the  guides  and 
muleteers  formed  a  back-ground  to  the  whole, 
while  the  fine  form  of  Sigismund  stood,  stern  and 
motionless  as  a  statue,  on  the  steps  of  the  altar 
which  was  opposite  to  the  females.  He  watched 
the  minutest  proceeding  of  the  investigation  with  a 
steadiness  that  was  the  result  of  severe  practice  in 
self-command,  and  a  jealous  determination  to  suffer 
no  new  wrong  to  be  accumulated  on  the  head,  of 
his  father. 

When  the  little  confusion  produced  by  the  en 
trance  of  the  party  from  the  refectory  had  subsided, 
the  Prior  made  a  signal  to  one  of  the  officers  of 
justice.  The  man  disappeared,  and  shortly  re 
turned  with  one  of  the  prisoners,  the  investigation 
being  intended  to  embrace  the  cases  of  all  who 
had  been  detained  by  the  prudence  of  the  monks. 
Balthazar  (for  it  was  he)  approached  the  table  in 
his  usual  meek  manner.  His  limbs  were  unbound, 
and  his  exterior  calm,  though  the  quick  unquiet 
movements  of  his  eye,  and  the  workings  of  his 
pale  features,  whenever  a  suppressed  sob  from 
among  the  females  reached  his  ear,  betrayed  the. 
inward  struggle  he  had  to  maintain,  in  order  to 
preserve  appearances.  When  he  was  confronted 
with  his  examiners,  Father  Michael  bowed  to  the 
chatelain;  for,  though  the  others  were  admitted  by 
Courtesy  to  participate  in  the  investigations,  the 
legal  right  to  proceed  in  an  affair  of  this  nature 


THE   HEADSMAW.  441 

within  the  limits  of  the  Valais,  belonged  to  this 
functionary  alone. 

"  Thou  art  called  Balthazar?"  abruptly  com 
menced  the  judge,  glancing  at  his  notes. 

The  answer  was  a  simple  inclination  of  the 
body. 

"  And  thou  art  the  headsman  of  the  canton  of 
Berne?' 

A  similar  silent  reply  was  given. 

"  The  office  is  hereditary  in  thy  family;  it  has 
been  so  for  ages  ?" 

Balthazar  erected  his  frame,  breathing  heavily, 
like  one  oppressed  at  the  heart,  but  who  would 
bear  down  his  feelings  before  he  answered. 

"  Herr  Chatelain,"  he  said  with  energy,  "by  the 
judgment  of  God  it  has  been  so." 

"Honest  Balthazar,  thou  throwest  too  much 
emphasis  into  thy  words,"  interposed  the  bailiff. 
"  All  that  belongs  to  authority  is  honorable,  and  is 
not  to  be  treated  as  an  evil.  Hereditary  claims, 
when  venerable  by  time  and  use,  have  a  double 
estimation  with  the  world,  since  it  brings  the 
merit  of  the  ancestor  to  sustain  that  of  the  de 
scendant.  We  have  our  rights  of  the  biirger- 
schaft,  and  thou  thy  rights  of  execution.  The  time 
has  been  when  thy  fathers  were  well  content  with 
their  privilege." 

Balthazar  bowed  in  submission ;  but  he  seemed 
to  think  any  other  reply  unnecessary.  The  fingers 
of  Sigismund  writhed  on  the  hilt  of  his  sword,  and 
a  groan,  which  the  young  man  well  knew  had  been 
wrested  from  the  bosom  of  his  mother,  came  from 
the  women. 

"  The  remark  of  the  worthy  and  honorable  bai 
liff  is' just,"  resumed  the  Valaisan ;  "  all  that  is  of 
the  state  is  for  the  good  of  the  state,  and  all  that 
is  for  the  comfort  and  security  of  man  is  honora 
ble.    Be  not  ashamed,  therefore,  of  thy  office,  Bal- 


442  THE    HEAD5MAX. 

'Jiazar,  which,  being  necessary,  is  not  to  be  idJv 
condemned ;  but  answer  faithfully  and  with  truth 
to  the  questions  I  am  about  to  put. — Thou  hast  a 
daughter  ?" 

"  In  that  much,  at  least,  have  I  been  blessed .'" 
The  energy  with  which  he  spoke  caused  a  sud 
den  movement  in  the  judges.  They  looked  at  each 
other  in  surprise,  for  it  was  apparent  they  did 
not  expect  these  touches  of  human  feeling  in  a  man 
who  li ved,  as  it  were,  in  constant  warfare  with  his 
fellow-creatures. 

"Thou  hast  reason,"  returned  the  chatelain, 
recovering  his  gravity ;  "  for  she  is  said  to  be  both 
dutiful  and  comely.  *  Thou  wert  about  to  marry 
this  daughter  ?" 

Balthazar  acknowledged  the  truth  of  this  by  an 
other  inclination. 

"  Didst  thou  ever  know  a  Vevaisan  of  the  name 
of  Jacques  Colis  ?" 

"  Mein  Herr,  I  did.  He  was  to  have  become 
my  son." 

The  chatelain  was  again  surprised;  for  the 
steadiness  of  the  reply  denoted  innocence,  and  he 
studied  the  countenance  of  the  prisoner  intently. 
He  found  apparent  frankness  where  he  had  expect 
ed  to  meet  with  subterfuge,  and,  like  all  who  have 
great  acquaintance  with  crime,  his  distrust  increas 
ed.  The  simplicity  of  one  who  really  had  nothing 
to  conceal,  unlike  that  appearance  of  firmness, 
which  is  assumed  to  affect  innocence,  set  his 
shrewdness  at  fault,  though  familiar  with  most  of 
the  expedients  of  the  guilty. 

"This  Jacques  Colis  was  to  have  wived  thy 
daughter  ?"  continued  the  chatelain,  growing  more 
wary  as  he  thought  he  detected  greater  evidence 
of  art  in  the  accused. 

"  It  was  so  understood  between  us." 
"  Did  he  love  thy  child  ?" 


THE    HEADSMAS.  443 

The  muscles  of  Balthazar's  mouth  played  con 
vulsively,  the  twitchings  of  the  lip  seeming  to 
threaten  a  loss  of  self-command. 

"IVfein  Herr,  I  believed  it" 

"  Yet  he  refused  to  fulfil  the  engagement  ?" 

«  He  did." 

Even  Marguerite  was  alarmed  at  the  deep  em 
phasis  with  which  this  answer  was  given,  and,  for 
the  first  time  in  her  life,  she  trembled  lest  the  ac 
cumulating  load  of  obloquy  had  indeed  been  too 
strong  for  her  husband's  principles. 

"  Thou  felt  anger  at  his  conduct,  and  at  the 
public  manner  in  which  he  disgraced  thee  and 
thine?" 

"  Herr  Chatelain,  I  am  human.  When  Jacques 
Colis  repudiated  my  daughter,  he  bruised  a  tender 
plant  in  the  girl,  and  he  caused  bitterness  in  a 
father's  heart." 

"  Thou  hast  received  instruction  superior  to  thy 
condition,  Balthazar !" 

"  We  are  a  race  of  executioners,  but  we  are  not 
the  unnurtured  herd  that  people  fancy.  T  is  the 
will  of  Berne  that  made  me  what  I  am,  and  no  de 
sire  nor  wants  of  my  own." 

"  The  charge  is  honorable,  as  are  all  that  come 
of  the  state,"  repeated  the  other,  with  the  formal 
readiness  in  which  set  phrases  are  uttered  ;  "  the 
charge  is  honorable  for  one  of  thy  birth.  God 
assigns  to  each  his  station  on  earth,  and  he  has 
fixed  thy  duties.  When  Jacques  Colis  refused  thy 
daughte'r  he  left  his  country  to  escape  thy  re 
venge  ?" 

"Were  Jacques  Colis  living,  he  would  not  utter 
o  foul  a  lie !" 

"  I  knew  his  honest  and  upright  nature !"  ex 
claimed  Marguerite  with  energy !  God  pardon  m« 
that  I  ever  doubted  it !" 

The  judges  turned  inquisitive  glances  towards 


444  THE   HEADSMAN. 

tne  indistinct  cluster  of  females,  but  the  examina 
tion  did  not  the  less  proceed. 

"  Thou  knowest,  then,  that  Jacques  Colis  is 
dead?" 

"  How  can  I  doubt  it,  mem  Herr,  when  I  saw 
his  bleeding  body?" 

"Balthazar,  thou  seemest  disposed  to  aid  the 
examination,  though  with  what  views  is  better 
known  to  Him  who  sees  the  inmost  heart,  than  to 
me.  I  will  come  at  once,  therefore,  to  the  most 
essential  facts.  Thou  art  a  native  and  a  resident 
of  Berne ;  the  headsman  of  the  canton — a  credit 
able  office  in  itself,  though  the  ignorance  and  preju 
dices  of  man  are  not  apt  so  to  consider  it.  Thou 
wouldst  have  married  thy  daughter  with  a  sub 
stantial  peasant  of  Vaud.  The  intended  bride 
groom  repudiated  thy  child,  in  face  of  the  thou 
sands  who  came  to  V^vey  to  witness  the  festivi 
ties  of  the  Abbaye ;  he  departed  on  a  journey  to 
avoid  thee,  or  his  own  feelings,  or  rumor,  or  what 
thou  wilt;  he  met  his  death  by  murder  on  this 
mountain  ;  his  body  was  discovered  with  the  knife 
in  the  recent  wound,  and  thou,  who  shouldst  have 
been  on  thy  path  homeward,  wert  found  passing 
the  night  near  the  murdered  man.  Thine  own 
reason  will  show  thee  the  connexion  which  we 
are  led  to  form  between  these  several  events,  and 
thou  art  now  required  Jo  explain  that  which  to  us 
seems  so  suspicious,  but  which  to  thyself  may  be 
clear.  Speak  freely,  but  speak  truth,  as  thou  re- 
verest  God,  and  in  thine  own  interest." 

Balthazar  hesitated  and  appeared  to  collect  his 
thoughts.  His  head  was  lowered  in  a  thoughtful 
attitude,  and  then,  looking  his  examiner  steadily 
in  the  face,  he  replied.  His  manner  was  calm, 
and  the  tone  in  which  he  spoke,  if  not  that  of  one 
innocent  in  fact,  was  that  of  one  who  well  knew 
how  to  assume  the  exterior  of  that  character. 


THE    HEADSMAN.  445 

"Herr  Chatelain,"  he  said,  "I  have  foreseen 
the  suspicions  that  would  be  apt  to  fasten  on  me 
in  these  unhappy  circumstances,  but,  used  to  trust 
in  Providence,  I  shall  speak  the  truth  without  fear. 
Of  the  intention  of  Jacques  Colis  to  depart  I  knew 
nothing.  He  went  his  way  privately,  and  if  you 
will  do'  me  the  justice  to  reflect  a  little,  it  will  be 
seen  that  I  was  the  last  man  to  whom  he  would 
have  been  likely  to  lei  his  intention  be  known.  1 
came  up  the  St.  Bernard,  drawn  by  a  chain  that 
your  own  heart  will  own  is  difficult  to  break  if  you 
are  a  father.  My  daughter  was  on  the  road  to 
Italy  with  kind  and  true  friends,  who  were  not 
ashamed  to  feel  for  a  headsman's  child,  and  who 
took  her  in  order  to  heal  the  wound  that  had  been 
so  unfeelingly  inflicted." 

"  This  is  true !"  exclaimed  the  Baron  de  Wil- 
lading ;  "  Balthazar  surely  says  naught  but  truth 
here!" 

"  This  is  known  and  allowed ;  crime  is  not  al 
ways  the  result  of  cool  determination,  but  it  comes 
of  terror,  of  sudden  thought,  the  angry  mood,  the 
dire  temptation,  and  a  fair  occasion.  Though 
thou  left'st  Vevey  ignorant  of  Jacques  Colis'  de 
parture,  didst  thou  hear  nothing  of  his  movements 
by  the  way?" 

"Balthazar  changed  color.  There  was  evi 
dently  a  struggle  in  his  bosom,  as  if  he  shrunk 
from  making  an  acknowledgment  that  might  mil- 
'tate  against  his  interests ;  but,  glancing  an  eye  at 
the  guides,  he  recovered  his  proper  tone  of  mind, 
and  answered  firmly : 

"  I  did.  Pierre  Dumont  had  heard  the  tale  of 
my  child's  disgrace,  and,  ignorant  that  I  was  the 
injured  parent,  he  told  me  of  the  manner  in  which 
the  unhappy  man  had  retreated  from  the  mockery 
of  his  companions.  I  knew,  therefore,  that  we 
were  on  the  same  path." 
2N 


446  THE    HEADSMAN. 

•*  And  yet  thou  perseveredst  ?" 

"  In  what,  Herr  Chatelain  ?  Was  I  to  desert  my 
daughter,  because  one  who  had  already  proved 
false  to  her  stood  in  my  way  ?" 

"  Thou  hast  well  answered,  Balthazar,"  inter 
rupted  Marguerite.  "Thou  hast  answered  as 
became  thee  !  We  are  few,  and  we  are  all  to  each 
other.  Thou  wert  not  to  forget  our  child  because 
it  pleased  others  to  despise  her." 

The  Signor  Grimaldi  bent  towards  the  Valaisan, 
and  whispered  near  his  ear. 

"  This  hath  the  air  of  nature,"  he  observed ; 
"  and  does  it  not  account  for  the  appearance  of 
the  father  on  the  road  taken  by  the  murdered 
man  ?" 

"  We  do  not  question  the  probability  or  justness 
of  such  a  motive,  Signore  ;  but  revenge  may  have 
suddenly  mounted  to  the  height  of  ferocity  in  some 
wrangle :  one  accustomed  to  blood  yields  easily  to 
his  passions  and  his  habits." 

The  truth  of  these  suggestions  was  plausible, 
and  the  noble  Genoese  drew  back  in  cold  disap 
pointment.  The  chatelain  consulted  with  those 
about  him,  and  then  desired  the  wife  to  come  forth 
in  order  to  be  confronted  with  her  husband.  Mar 
guerite  obeyed.  Her  movement  was  slow,  and  her 
whole  manner  that  of  one  who  yielded  to  a  stern 
necessity. 

"  Thou  art  the  headsman's  wife  ?" 

"  And  a  headsman's  daughter." 

"  Marguerite  is  a  well-disposed  and  a  sensible 
woman,"  put  in  Peterchen  ;  "  she  understands  that 
an  office  under  the  state  can  never  bring  disgrace 
n  the  eyes  of  reason,  and  wishes  no  part  of  her 
History  or  origin  to  be  concealed." 

The  glance  that  flashed  from  the  eye  of  Baltha- 
ar's  wife  was  withering ;  but  the  dogmatic  bailiff 


THE    HEADSMAN.  447 

was  by  far  too  well  satisfied  with  his  own  wisdom 
to  be  conscious  of  its  effects. 

"  And  a  headsman's  daughter,"  continued  the 
examining  judge ;  "  why  art  thou  here?" 

"  Because  I  am  a  wife  and  a  mother.  As  the 
latter  I  came  upon  the  mountain,  and  as  a  wife  I 
have  mounted  to  the  convent  to  be  present  at  this 
examination.  They  will  have  it  that  there  is  blood 
upon  the  hands  of  Balthazar,  and  I  am  here  to 
repel  the  lie." 

"  And  yet  thou  hast  not  been  slow  to  confess  thy 
connexion  with  a  race  of  executioners ! — They 
who  are  accustomed  to  see  their  fellows  die  might 
have  less  warmth  in  meeting  a  plain  inquiry  of 
justice !" 

"Herr  Chatelain,  thy  meaning  is  understood. 
We  have  been  weighed  upon  heavily  by  Provi 
dence,  but,  until  now,  they  whom  we  have  been 
made  to  serve  have  had  the  policy  to  treat  us  with 
fair  words  !  Thou  hast  spoken  of  blood;  that  which 
has  been  shed  by  Balthazar,  by  his,  and  by  mine, 
lies  on  the  consciences  of  those  who  commanded 
it  to  be  spilt.  The  unwilling  instruments  of  thy 
justice  are  innocent  before  God." 

"  This  is  strange  language  for  people  of  thy  em 
ployment!  Dost  thou,  too,  Balthazar,  speak  and 
think  with  thy  consort  in  this  matter  ?" 

"  Nature  has  given  us  men  sterner  feelings,  mein 
He;r.  I  was  born  to  the  office  I  hold,  taught  to 
believe  it  right,  if  not  honorable,  and  I  have  strug 
gled  hard  to  do  its  duties  without  murmuring.  The 
case  is  different  with  poor  Marguerite.  She  is  a 
mother,  and  lives  in  her  children;  she  has  seen  one 
that  is  near  her  heart  publicly  scorned,  and  she 
feels  like  a  mother." 

"  And  thou,  who  art  a  father,  what  has  been  thy 
manner  of  thinking  under  this  insult  ?" 

Balthazar  was  meek  by  nature,  and,  as  he  had 


448  THE    HEADSMAN. 

just  said,  he  had  been  trained  to  the  exercise  of 
his  functions ;  but  he  was  capable  of  profound  af 
fections.  The  question  touched  him  in  a  sensitive 
spot,  and  he  writhed  under  his  feelings  ;  but,  ac 
customed  to  command  himself  before  the  public 
eye,  arid  alive  to  the  pride  of  manhood,  his  mighty 
effort  to  suppress  the  agony  that  loaded  his  heart 
was  rewarded  with  success. 

"  Sorrow  for  my  unoffending  child ;  sorrow  for 
him  who  had  forgotten  his  faith ;  and  sorrow  for 
them  who  have  been  at  the  root  of  this  bitter 
wrong,"  was  the  answer. 

"  This  man  has  been  accustomed  to  hear  for 
giveness  preached  to  the  criminal,  and  he  turns 
his  schooling  to  good  account,"  whispered  the  wary 
judge  to  those  near  him.  "  We  must  try  his  guilt 
by  other  means.  He  may  be  readier  in  reply  than 
steady  in  his  nerves." 

Signing  to  the  assistants,  the  Valaisan  now  qui 
etly  awaited  the  effect  of  a  new  experiment.  The 
pall  was  removed,  and  the  body  of  Jacques  Colis 
exposed.  He  was  seated  as  in  life,  on  the  table  in 
front  of  the  grand  altar. 

"  The  innocent  have  no  dread  of  those  whose 
spirits  have  deserted  the  flesh,"  continued  the 
chatelain,  "  but  God  often  sorely  pricks  the  con 
sciences  of  the  guilty,  when  they  are  made  to  see 
the  works  of  their  own  cruel  hands.  Approach 
and  look  upon  the  dead,  Balthazar ;  thou  and  thy 
wife,  that  we  may  judge  of  the  manner  in  which 
ye  face  the  murdered  and  wronged  man." 

A  more  fruitless  experiment  could  not  well  have 
been  attempted  with  one  of  the  headsman's  office ; 
for  long  familiarity  with  such  sights  had  taken  off 
that  edge  of  horror  which  the  less  accustomed 
would  be  apt  to  feel.  Whether  it  were  owing  to 
this  circumstance,  or  to  his  innocence,  Balthazar 
walked  to  the  side  of  the  body  unshaken,  and  stood 


THE    HEADSMAN.  449 

long  regarding  the  bloodless  features  with  unmoved 
tranquillity.  His  habits  were  quiet  and  meek,  and 
little  given  to  display.  The  feelings  which  crowded 
his  mind,  therefore,  did  not  escape  him  in  words, 
though  a  gleam  of  something  like  regret  crossed 
his  face.  Not  so  with  his  companion.  Margue 
rite  took  the  hand  of  the  dead  man,  and  hot  tears 
began  to  follow  each  other  down  her  cheeks,  as 
she  gazed  at  his  shrunken  and  altered  lineaments. 
"  Poor  Jacques  Colis  !"  she  said  in  a  manner  to 
be  heard  by  all  present ;  "  thou  hadst  thy  faults, 
like  all  born  of  woman ;  but  thou  didst  not  merit 
this  !  Little  did  the  mother  that  bore  thee,  and  who 
lived  in  thy  infant  smile — she  who  fondled  thee  on 
her  knee,  and  cherished  thee  in  her  bosom,  fore 
see  thy  fearful  and  sudden  end !  It  was  happy  for 
her  that  she  never  knew  the  fruit  of  all  her  love, 
and  pains,  and  care,  else  bitterly  would  she  have 
mourned  over  what  was  then  her  joy,  and  in  sor 
row  would  she  have  witnessed  thy  pleasantest 
smile.  We  live  in  a  fearful  world,  Balthazar;  a 
world  in  which  the  wicked  triumph !  Thy  hand, 
that  would  not  willingly  harm  the  meanest  crea 
ture  which  has  been  fashioned  by  the  will  of  God, 
is  made  to  take  life,  and  thy  heart — thy  excellent 
heart — is  slowly  hardening  in  the  execution  of  this 
accursed  office !  The  judgment-seat  hath  fallen  to 
the  lot  of  the  corrupt  and  designing ;  mercy  hath 
become  the  laughing-stock  of  the  ruthless,  and 
death  is  inflicted  by  the  hand  of  him  who  would 
live  in  peace  with  his  kind.  This  cometh  of  thwart 
ing  God's  intentions  with  the  selfishness  and  de 
signs  of  men  !  We  would  be  wiser  than  he  who 
made  the  universe,  and  we  betray  the  weakness 
of  fools  !  Go  to — go  to,  ye  proud  and  great  of  the 
earth — if  we  have  taken  life,  it  hath  been  at  your 
bidding ;  but  we  have  naught  of  this  on  our  con- 
2N2 


450  THE    HEADSMAN. 

sciences.  The  deed  hath  been  the  work  of  the 
rapacious  and  violent — it  is  no  deed  of  revenge." 

"  In  what  manner  are  we  to  know  that  what 
thou  sayest  is  true  ?"  asked  the  chatelain,  who  had 
advanced  near  the  altar,  in  order  to  watch  the 
effects  of  the  trial  to  which  he  had  put  Balthazar 
and  his  wife. 

"  I  am  not  surprised  at  thy  question,  Herr  Cha 
telain,  for  nothing  comes  quicker  to  the  minds  of 
the  honored  and  happy  than  the  thought  of  resent 
ing  an  evil  turn.  It  is  not  so  with  the  despised. 
Revenge  would  be  an  idle  remedy  for  us.  Would 
it  raise  us  in  men's  esteem  1  should  we  forget  our 
own  degraded  condition?  should  we  be  a  whit 
nearer  respect  after  the  deed  was  done  than  we 
were  before  ?" 

"  This  may  be  true,  but  the  angered  do  not 
reason.  Thou  art  not  suspected,  Marguerite,  ex 
cept  as  having  heard  the  truth  from  thy  husband 
since  the  deed  has  been  committed,  but  thine  own 
discernment  will  show  that  naught  is  more  probable 
than  that  a  hot  contention  about  the  past  may  have 
led  Balthazar,  who  is  accustomed  to  see  blood,  into 
the  commission  of  this  act  ?" 

"  Here  is  thy  boasted  justice !  Thine  own  laws 
are  brought  in  support  of  thine  own  oppression. 
Didst  thou  know  how  much  pains  his  father  had 
in  teaching  Balthazar  to  strike,  how  many  long 
and  anxious  visits  were  paid  between  his  parent 
and  mine  in  order  to  bring  up  the  youth  in  the  way 
of  his  dreadful  calling,  thou  wouldst  not  think  him 
so  apt !  God  unfitted  him  for  his  office,  as  he  has 
unfitted  many  of  higher  and  different  pretensions 
for  duties  that  have  been  cast  upon  them  in  virtue 
of  their  birthrights.  Had  it  been  I,  chatelain,  thy 
suspicions  would  have  a  better  show  of  reason.  I 
am  formed  with  strong  and  quick  feelings,  and 
reason  has  often  proved  too  weak  for  passion, 


THE    HEADSMAN.  451 

though  the  rebuke  that  has  been  daily  received 
throughout  a  life  hath  long  since  tamed  all  of  pride 
that  ever  dwelt  in  me." 

"  Thou  hast  a  daughter  present  1" 

Marguerite  pointed  to  the  group  which  held  her 
child. 

"  The  trial  is  severe,"  said  the  judge,  who  began 
to  feel  compunctions  that  were  rare  to  one  of  his 
habits,  "  but  it  is  as  necessary  to  your  own  future 
peace,  as  it  is  to  justice  itself,  that  the  truth  should 
be  known.  I  am  compelled  to  order  thy  daughter 
to  advance  to  the  body." 

Marguerite  received  this  unexpected  command 
with  coW  womanly  reserve.  Too  much  wounded 
to  complain,  but  trembling  for  the  conduct  of  her 
child,  she  went  to  the  cluster  of  females,  pressed 
Christine  to  her  heart,  and  led  her  silently  forward. 
She  presented  her  to  the  chatelain,  with  a  dignity 
so  calm  and  quiet,  that  the  latter  found  it  op 
pressive  ! 

"This  is  Balthazar's  child,"  she  said.  Then 
folding  her  arms,  she  retired  herself  a  step,  an  at 
tentive  observer  of  what  passed. 

The  judge  regarded  the  sweet  pallid  face  of  the 
trembling  girl  with  an  interest  he  had  seldom  felt 
for  any  who  had  come  before  him  in  the  discharge 
of  his  unbending  duties.  He  spoke  to  her  kindly, 
and  even  encouragingly,  placing  himself  intention 
ally  between  her  and  the  dead,  momentarily  hiding 
the  appalling  spectacle  from  her  view,  that  she 
might  have  time  to  summon  her  courage.  Mar 
guerite  blessed  him  in  her  heart  for  this  small  grace, 
and  was  better  satisfied. 

"Thou  wert  betrothed  to  Jacques  Colis?"  de 
manded  the  chatelain,  using  a  gentleness  of  voice 
t'iat  was  singularly  in  contrast  with  his  former 
stern  interrogatories. 


452  THE    HEADSMAN. 

The  utmost  that  Christine  could  reply  was  to 
bow  her  head. 

"  Thy  nuptials  were  to  take  place  at  the  late 
meeting  of  the  Abbaye  des  Vignerons — it  is  our 
unpleasant  duty  to  wound  where  we  could  wish 
to  heal — but  thy  betrothed  refused  to  redeem  his 
pledge  ?" 

"  The  heart  is  weak,  and  sometimes  shrinks  from 
its  own  good  purposes,"  murmured  Christine.  "  He 
was  but  human,  and  he  could  not  withstand  the 
sneers  of  all  about  him." 

The  chatelain  was  so  entranced  by  her  gentle 
and  sweet  manner  that  he  leaned  forward  to  listen, 
lest  a  syllable  of  what  she  whispered  might  escape 
his  ears. 

"  Thou  acquittest,  then,  Jacques  Colis  of  any 
false  intention  ?" 

"  He  was  less  strong  than  he  believed  himself, 
mein  Herr ;  he  was  not  equal  to  sharing  our  dis 
grace,  which  was  put  rudely  and  too  strongly  be 
fore  him." 

"  Thou  hadst  consented  freely  to  the  marriage 
thyself,  and  wert  well  disposed  to  become  his 
wife  ?" 

The  imploring  look  and  heaving  respiration  of 
Christine  were  lost  on  the  blunted  sensibilities  of  a 
criminal  judge. 

"  Was  the  youth  dear  to  thee  ?"  he  repeated, 
without  perceiving  the  wound  he  was  inflicting  on 
female  reserve. 

Christine  shuddered.  She  was  not  accustomed 
to  have  affections  which  she  considered  the  most 
sacred  of  her  short  and  innocent  existence  so  rude 
ly  probed;  but,  believing  that  the  safety  of  he 
father  depended  on  her  frankness  and  sincerity,  by 
an  effort  that  was  nearly  superhuman,  she  was 
enabled  to  reply.  The  bright  glow  that  suffused 
her  face,  however,  proclaimed  the  power  of  that 


THE    HEADSMAN.  453 

sentiment  which  becomes  instinctive  to  her  sex, 
arraying  her  features  in  the  lustre  of  maiden  shame. 

"  I  was  little  used  to  hear  words  of  praise,  Herr 
Chatelain, — and  they  are  so  soothing  to  the  ears 
of  the  despised !  I  felt  as  a  girl  acknowledges  the 
preference  of  a  youth  who  is  not  disagreeable  to 
her.  I  thought  he  loved  me — and — what  would 
you  more,  mein  Herr  ?" 

"  None  could  hate  thee,  innocent  and  abused 
child  !"  murmured  the  Signor  Grimaldi. 

"You  forget  that  I  am  Balthazar's  daughter, 
mein  Herr;  none  of  our  race  are  viewed  with 
favor." 

"  Thou,  at  least,  must  be  an  exception !" 

"  Leaving  this  aside,"  continued  the  chatelain, 
"  I  would  know  if  thy  parents  showed  resentment 
at  the  misconduct  of  thy  betrothed ;  whether  aught 
was  said  in  thy  presence,  that  can  throw  light  on 
this  unhappy  affair  V 

The  officer  of  the  Valais  turned  his  head  aside, 
for  he  met  the  surprised  and  displeased  glance  of 
the  Genoese,  whose  eye  expressed  a  gentleman's 
opinion  at  hearing  a  child  thus  questioned  in  a  mat 
ter  that  so  nearly  touched  her  father's  life.  But  the 
took  and  the  improper  character  of  the  examination 
escaped  the  notice  of  Christine.  She  relied  with 
filial  confidence  on  the  innocence  of  the  author  of 
her  being,  and,  so  far  from  being  shocked,  she  re 
joiced  with  the  simplicity  and  confidence  of  the 
undesigning  at  being  permitted  to  say  anything  that 
might  vindicate  him  in  the  eyes  of  his  judges. 

"  Herr  Chatelain,"  she  answered  eagerly,  the 
blood  that  had  mounted  to  her  cheeks  from  female 
weakness,  deepening  to,  and  warming,  her  very 
temples  with  a  holier  sentiment:  "Herr  Chatelain, 
we  wept  together  when  alone ;  we  prayed  for  our 
enemies  as  for  ourselves,  but  naught  was  said  to 
the  prejudice  of  poor  Jacques — no,  not  a  whisper." 


454  THE    HEADSMAN. 

"  Wept  and  prayed !"  repeated  the  judge,  looking 
from  the  child  to  the  father,  in  the  manner  of  a 
man  that  fancied  he  did  not  hear  aright. 

"  I  said  both,  mein  Herr ;  if  the  former  was  a 
weakness,  the  latter  was  a  duty." 

"  This  is  strange  language  in  the  mouth  of  a 
eadsman's  child !" 

Christine  appeared  at  a  loss,  for  a  moment,  to 
comprehend  his  meaning;  but,  passing  a  hand 
across  her  fair  brow,  she  continued. 

"  I  think  I  understand  what  you  would  say,  mein 
Herr,"  she  said ;  "  the  world  believes  us  to  be 
without  feeling  and  without  hope.  We  are  what 
we  seem  in  the  eyes  of  others  because  the  law 
makes  it  so,  but  we  are  in  our  hearts  like  all  around 
us,  Herr  Chatelain — with  this  difference,  that,  feel 
ing  our  abasement  among  men,  we  lean  more 
closely  and  more  affectionately  on  God.  You  may 
condemn  us  to  do  your  offices  and  to  bear  your 
dislike,  but  you  cannot  rob  us  of  our  trust  in  the 
justice  of  heaven.  In  that,  at  least,  we  are  the 
equals  of  the  proudest  baron  in  the  cantons !" 

"  The  examination  had  better  rest  here,"  said 
the  prior,  advancing  with  glistening  eyes  to  inter 
pose  between  the  maiden  and  her  interrogator. 
"  Thou  knowest,  Herr  Bourrit,  that  we  have  other 
prisoners." 

The  chatelain,  who  felt  his  own  practised  ob 
duracy  of  feeling  strangely  giving  way  before  the 
innocent  and  guileless  faith  of  Christine,  was  not 
unwilling  himself  to  change  the  direction  of  the  in 
quiries.  The  family  of  Balthazar  was  directed  to 
retire,  and  the  attendants  were  commanded  to  bring 
forward  Pippo  and  Conrad. 


THE   HEADSMAN.  455 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

And  when  thou  thus 

Shalt  stand  impleaded  at  the  high  tribunal 
Of  hoodwink'd  Justice,  who  shall  tell  thy  audit! 

COTTON. 

THE  buffoon  and  the  pilgrim,  though  of  a  genera, 
appearance  likely  to  excite  distrust,  presented  them 
selves  with  the  confidence  and  composure  of  in 
nocence.  Their  examination  was  short,  for  the 
account  they  gave  of  their  movements  was  clear 
and  connected.  Circumstances  that  were  known 
to  the  monks,  too,  greatly  aided  in  producing  a 
conviction  that  they  could  have  had  no  agency  in 
the  murder.  They  had  left  the  valley  below  some 
hours  before  the  arrival  of  Jacques  Colis,  and  they 
reached  the  convent,  weary  and  foot-sore,  as  was 
usual  with  all  who  ascended  that  long  and  toilsome 
path,  shortly  after  the  commencement  of  the  storm. 
Measures  had  been  taken  by  the  local  authorities, 
during  the  time  lost  in  waiting  the  arrival  of  the 
bailiff  and  the  chatelain,  to  ascertain  all  the  minute 
facts  which  it  was  supposed  would  be  useful  in 
ferreting  out  the  truth ;  and  the  results  of  these  in 
quiries  had  also  been  favorable  to  these  itinerants, 
whose  habits  of  vagabondism  might  otherwise 
very  justly  have  brought  them  within  the  pale  of 
suspicion. 

The  flippant  Pippo  was  the  principal  speaker  in 
the  short  investigation,  and  his  answers  were 
given  with  a  ready  frankness,  that,  under  the  cir 
cumstances,  did  him  and  his  companion  infinite 
service.  The  buffoon,  though  accustomed  to  de 
ception  and  frauds,  had  sufficient  mother-wit  io 
comprehend  the  critical  position  in  which  he  WAS 


45(5  THE    HEADSMAN. 

now  placed,  and  that  it  was  wiser  to  be  sincere, 
than  to  attempt  effecting  his  ends  by  any  of  the 
usual  means  of  prevarication.  He  answered  the 
judge,  therefore,  with  a  simplicity  which  his  or 
dinary  pursuits  would  not  have  given  reason  to  ex 
pect,  and  apparently  with  some  touches  of  feeling 
that  did  credit  to  his  heart. 

"  This  frankness  is  thy  friend,"  added  the  chate- 
lain,  after  he  had  nearly  exhausted  his  questions, 
the  answers  having  convinced  him  that  there  was 
no  ground  of  suspicion,  beyond  the  adventitious 
circumstance  of  their  having  been  travellers  on 
the  same  road  as  the  deceased ;  "  it  has  done  much 
towards  convincing  me  of  thy  innocence,  and  it  is 
in  general  the  best  shield  for  those  who  have  com 
mitted  no  crime.  I  only  marvel  that  one  of  thy 
habits  should  have  had  the  sense  to  discover  it  i" 

"  Suffer  me  to  tell  you,  Signor  Castellano,  or 
Podesta,  whichever  may  be  your  eccellenza's  prop 
er  title,  that  you  have  not  given  Pippo  credit  for 
the  wit  he  really  hath.  It  is  true  I  live  by  throwing 
dust  into  men's  eyes,  and  by  making  others  think 
the  wrong  is  the  right;  but  mother  Nature  has 
given  us  all  an  insight  into  our  own  interests,  and 
mine  is  quite  clear  enough  to  let  me  know  when 
the  true  is  better  than  the  false." 

"Happy  would  it  be  if  all  had  the  same  faculty 
and  the  same  disposition  to  put  it  in  use." 

"  I  shall  not  presume  to  teach  one  as  wise  and 
as  experienced  as  yourself,  eccellenza,  but  if  an 
humble  man  might  speak  freely  in  this  honorable 
presence,  he  would  say  that  it  is  not  common  to 
meet  with  a  fact  without  finding  it  a  very  near 
neighbor  to  a  lie.  They  pass  for  the  wisest  and 
the  most  virtuous  who  best  know  how  to  mix  the 
two  so  artfully  together,  that,  like  the  sweets  we 
put  upon  healing  bitters,  the  palatable  may  make 
the  useful  go  down.  Such  at  least  is  the  opinion 


THE    HEADSMAN  457 

of  a  poor  street  buffoon,  who  has  no  better  claim 
to  merit  than  having  learned  his  art  on  the  Mole 
and  in  the  Toledo  of  Bellissima  Napoli,  which,  as 
everybody  knows,  is  a  bit  of  heaven  fallen  upon 
earth!" 

The  fervor  with  which  Pippo  uttered  the  cus- 
comary  eulogium  on  the  site  of  the  ancient  Par- 
thenope  was  so  natural  and  characteristic  as  to 
excite  a  smile  in  the  judge,  in  spite  of  the  solemn 
duty  in  which  he  was  engaged,  and  it  was  believ 
ed  to  be  an  additional  proof  of  the  speaker's  inno 
cence;  The  chatelain  then  slowly  recapitulated 
the  history  of  the  buffoon  and  the  pilgrim  to  his 
companions,  the  purport  of  which  was  as  follows. 

Pippo  naively  admitted  the  debauch  at  Vevey, 
implicating  the  festivities  of  the  day  and  the  known 
frailty  of  the  flesh  as  the  two  influencing  causes. 
Conrad,  however,  stood  upon  the  purity  of  his  life 
and  the  sacred  character  of  his  calling,  justifying 
the  company  he  kept  on  the  respectable  plea  of 
necessity,  and  on  that  of  the  mortifications  to 
which  a  pilgrimage  should,  of  right,  subject  him 
who  undertakes  it.  They  had  quitted  Vaud  to 
gether  as  early  as  the  evening  of  the  day  of  the 
abbaye's  ceremonies,  and,  from  that  time  to  the 
moment  of  their  arrival  at  the  convent,  had  made 
a  diligent  use  of  their  legs,  in  order  to  cross  the 
Col  before  the  snows  should  set  in  and  render  the 
passage  dangerous.  They  had  been  seen  at  Mar- 
tigny,  at  Liddes,  and  St.  Pierre,  alone  and  at 
proper  hours,  making  the  best  of  their  way  towardi 
the  hospice;  and,  though  of  necessity  their  pro 
gress  and  actions,  for  several  hours  after  quitting 
the  latter  place,  were  not  brought  within  the  ob 
servation  of  any  but  of  that  all-seeing  eye  which 
commands  a  view  of  the  recesses  of  the  Alps 
equally  with  those  of  more  frequented  spots,  their 
arrival  at  the  abode  of  the  monks  was  sufficiently 
20 


458  THE    HEADSMAN. 

seasonable  to  give  reason  to  believe  that  no  por 
tion  of  the  intervening  time  had  been  wasted  by 
the  way.  Thus  far,  their  account  of  themselves 
and  their  movements  was  distinct,  while,  on  the 
other  hand,  there  was  not  a  single  fact  to  implicate 
either,  beyond  the  suspicion  that  was  more  or  less 
common  to  all  who  happened  to  be  on  the  moun 
tain  at  the  moment  the  crime  was  committed. 

"  The  innocence  of  these  two  men  would  seem 
so  clear,  and  their  readiness  to  appear  and  answer 
to  our  questions  is  so  much  in  their  favor,"  observ 
ed  the  experienced  chatelain,  "  that  I  do  not  deem 
it  just  to  detain  them  longer.  The  pilgrim,  in 
particular,  has  a  heavy  trust ;  I  understand  he  per 
forms  his  penance  as  much  for  others  as  for  him 
self,  and  it  is  scarce  decent  in  us,  who  are  believers 
and  servants  of  the  church,  to  place  obstacles  in 
his  path.  I  will  suggest  the  expediency,  therefore, 
of  giving  him  at  least  permission  to  depart." 

"  As  we  are  near  the  end  of  the  inquiries,"  in 
terrupted  the  Signor  Grimaldi,  gravely,  "  I  would 
suggest,  with  due  deference  to  a  better  opinion  and 
more  experience,  the  propriety  that  all  should  re 
main,  ourselves  included,  until  we  have  come  to  a 
better  understanding  of  the  truth." 

Both  Pippo  and  the  pilgrim  met  this  suggestion 
with  ready  declarations  of  their  willingness  to 
continue  at  the  convent  until  the  following  morn 
ing.  This  little  concession,  however,  had  no  great 
merit,  for  the  lateness  of  the  hour  rendered  it  im 
prudent  to  depart  immediately ;  and  the  affair  was 
finally  settled  by  ordering  them  to  retire,  it  being 
understood  that,  unless  previously  called  for,  they 
might  depart  with  the  reappearance  of  the  dawn. 
Maso  was  the  next  and  the  last  to  be  examined. 

II  Maledetto  presented  himself  with  perfect  steadi 
ness  of  nerve.  He  was  accompanied  by  Nettuno, 
the  mastiffs  of  the  convent  having  been  kennelled 


THE    HEADSMAN.  459 

for  the  night.  It  had  been  the  habit  of  the  dog  of 
late  to  stray  among  the  rocks  by  day,  and  to  re 
turn  to  the  convent  in  the  evening  in  quest  of  food, 
the  sterile  St.  Bernard  possessing  nothing  whatever 
for  the  support  of  man  or  beast  except  that  which 
came  from  the  liberality  of  the  monks,  every  ani 
mal  but  the  chamois  and  the  lammergeyer  refusing 
to  ascend  so  near  the  region  of  eternal  snows.  In 
his  master,  however,  Nettuno  found  a  steady  friend, 
never  failing  to  receive  all  that  was  necessary  to 
his  wants  from  the  portion  of  Maso  himself;  for 
the  faithful  beast  was  admitted  at  his  periodical 
visits  to  the  temporary  prison  in  which  the  latter 
was  confined. 

The  chatelain  waited  a  moment  for  the  little  stir 
occasioned  by  the  entrance  of  the  prisoner  to  sub 
side,  when  he  pursued  the  inquiry. 

"Thou  art  a  Genoese  of  the  name  of  Thomaso 
Santi  ?"  he  asked,  consulting  his  notes. 

"  By  this  name,  Signore,  am  I  generally  known." 

"  Thou  art  a  mariner,  and  it  is  said  one  of  cour 
age  and  skill.  Why  hast  thou  given  thyself  the 
ungracious  appellation  of  II  Maledetto?" 

"  Men  call  me  thus.  It  is  a  misfortune,  but  not 
a  crime,  to  be  accursed." 

"  He  that  is  so  ready  to  abuse  his  own  fortunes 
should  not  be  surprised  if  others  are  led  to  think 
he  merits  his  fate.  We  have  some  accounts  of 
thee  in  Valais;  'tis  said  thou  art  a  free-trader?" 

"  The  fact  can  little  concern  Valais  or  her  gov 
ernment,  since  all  come  and  go  unquestioned  in 
this  free  land." 

"  It  is  true,  we  do  not  imitate  our  neighbors  in 
all  their  policy ;  neither  do  we  like  to  see  so  often 
those  who  set  at  naught  the  laws  of  friendly  states. 
Why  art  thou  journeying  on  this  road  ?" 

"  Signore,  if  I  am  what  you  say,  the  reason  of 
my  being  here  is  sufficiently  plain.  It  is  proba 


460  THE    HEADSMAN. 

bly  because  the  Lombard  and  Piedmontese  are 
more  exacting  of  the  stranger  than  you  of  the 
mountains." 

"  Your  effects  have  been  examined,  and  they 
offer  nothing  to  support  the  suspicion.  By  all  ap 
pearances,  Maso,  thou  hast  not  much  of  the  goods 
of  life  to  boast  of;  but,  in  spite  of  this,  thy  repu 
tation  clings  to  thee." 

"  Ay,  Signore,  this  is  much  after  the  world's 
humor.  Let  it  fancy  any  quality  in  a  man,  and 
he  is  sure  to  get  more  than  his  share  of  the  same, 
whether  it  be  for  or  against  his  interest.  The 
rich  man's  florin  is  quickly  coined  into  a  sequin 
by  vulgar  tongues,  while  the  poor  man  is  lucky  if 
he  can  get  the  change  of  a  silver  mark  for  an 
ounce  of  the  better  metal.  Even  poor  Nettuno 
finds  it  difficult  to  get  a  living  here  at  the  convent, 
because  some  difference  in  coat  and  instinct  has 
given  him  a  bad  name  among  the  dogs  of  St. 
Bernard !" 

"Thy  answer  agrees  with  thy  character;  thou 
art  said  to  have  more  wit  than  honesty,  Maso, 
and  thou  art  described  as  one  that  can  form  a 
desperate  resolution  and  act  up  to  its  decision  at 
need  ?" 

"  I  am  as  Heaven  willed  at  the  birth,  Signor 
Castellano,  and  as  the  chances  of  a  pretty  busy 
life  have  served  to  give  the  work  its  finish.  That  I 
am  not  wanting  in  manly  qualities  on  occasion, 
perhaps  these  noble  travellers  will  be  willing  to 
testify,  in  consideration  of  some  activity  tnat  I  may 
have  shown  on  the  Leman,  during  their  late  pas 
sage  of  that  treacherous  water." 

Though  this  was  said  carelessly,  the  appeal  to 
the  recollection  and  gratitude  of  those  he  had 
served  was  too  direct  to  be  overlooked.  Melcnior 
de  Willading,  the  pious  clavier,  and  the  Signor 
Grimaldi,  all  testified  in  behalf  of  the  prisoner. 


THE    HEADSMAN.  461 

freely  admitting  that,  without  his  coolness  and 
skill,  the  Winkelried  and  all  she  held  would  irre 
trievably  have  been  lost.  Sigismund  wras  not  con 
tent  with  so  cold  a  demonstration  of  his  feelings. 
He  owed  not  only  the  lives  of  his  father  and  him 
self  to  the  courage  of  Maso,  but  that  of  one  dearer 
than  all ;  one  whose  preservation,  to  his  youthfu 
imagination,  seemed  a  service  that  might  nearly 
atone  for  any  crime,  and  his  gratitude  was  in  pro 
portion. 

"  I  will  testify  more  strongly  to  thy  merit,  Maso, 
in  face  of  this  or  any  tribunal ;"  he  said,  grasping 
the  hand  of  the  Italian.  "  One  who  showed  so  much 
bravery  and  so  strong  love  for  his  fellows,  would 
be  little  likely  to  take  life  clandestinely  and  like  a 
coward.  Thou  mayest  count  on  my  testimony  in 
this  strait — if  thou  art  guilty  of  this  crime,  who 
can  hope  to  be  innocent  ?" 

Maso  returned  the  friendly  grasp  till  their  fin 
gers  seemed  to  grow  into  each  other.  His  eye, 
too,  showed  he  was  not  without  wholesome  native 
sympathies,  though  education  and  his  habits  might 
have  warped  them  from  their  true  direction.  A 
tear,  in  spite  of  his  effort  to  suppress  the  weakness 
.started  from  its  fountain,  rolling  down  his  sunburnt 
cheek  like  a  solitary  rivulet  trickling  through  a 
barren  and  rugged  waste. 

"  This  is  frank,  and  as  becomes  a  soldier,  Sig- 
nore,"  he  said,  "  and  I  receive  it  as  it  is  given,  in 
kindness  and  love.  But  we  will  not  lay  more  stress 
upon  the  affair  of  the  lake  than  it  deserves.  This 
keen-sighted  chatelain  need  not  be  told  that  I  could 
not  be  of  use  in  saving  your  lives,  without  saving 
my  own ;  and,  unless  I  much  mistake  the  meaning 
of  his  eye,  he  is  about  to  say  that  we  are  fashion 
ed  like  this  wild  country  in  which  chance  has 
brought  us  together,  with  our  spots  of  generous 
fertility  mingled  with  much  unfruitful  rock,  and 
202 


462  THE   HEADSMAN 

that  he  who  does  a  good  act  to-day  may  forget 
himself  by  doing  an  evil  turn  to-morrow." 

"  Thou  givest  reason  to  all  who  hear  thee  to 
mourn  that  thy  career  has  not  been  more  profita 
ble  to  thyself  and  the  public,"  answered  the  judge; 
"  one  who  can  reason  so  well,  and  who  hath  this 
clear  insight  into  his  own  disposition,  must  err  less 
from  ignorance  than  wantonness  !" 

"  There  you  do  me  injustice,  Signor  Castellano, 
and  the  laws  more  credit  than  they  deserve.  ] 
shall  not  deny  that  justice — or  what  is  called  jus 
tice — and  I  have  some  acquaintance.  I  have  been 
the  tenant  of  many  prisons  before  this  which  has 
been  furnished  by  the  holy  canons,  and  I  have  seen 
every  stage  of  the  rogue's  progress,  from  him  who 
is  still  startled  by  his  first  crime,  dreaming  heavy 
dreams,  and  fancying  each  stone  of  his  cell  ha*s 
an  eye  to  reproach  him,  to  him  who  no  sooner 
does  a  wrong  than  it  is  forgotten  in  the  wish  to 
find  the  means  of  committing  another ;  and  I  call 
Heaven  as  a  witness,  that  more  is  done  to  help 
along  the  scholar  in  his  study  of  vice,  by  those 
who  are  styled  the  ministers  of  justice,  than  by 
his  own  natural  frailties,  the  wants  of  his  habits,  or 
the  strength  of  his  passions.  Let  the  judge  feel 
a  father's  mildness,  the  laws  possess  that  pure  jus 
tice  which  is  of  things  that  are  not  perverted,  and 
society  become  what  it  claims  to  be,  a  community 
of  mutual  support,  and,  my  life  on  it,  chatelain, 
thy  functions  will  be  lessened  of  most  of  their 
weight  and  of  all  their  oppression." 

"  This  language  is  bold,  and  without  an  object. 
Explain  the  manner  of  thy  quitting  Vevey,  Maso, 
the  road  thou  hast  travelled,  the  hours  of  thy  pas 
sages  by  the  different  villages,  and  the  reason  why 
thou  wert  discovered  near  the  Refuge,  alone,  and 
why  ,hou  quittedst  the  companions  with  whom 


THE    HEADSMAN.  463 

thou  hadst  passed  the  night  so  early  and  so  clan 
destinely  ?" 

The  Italian  listened  attentively  to  these  several 
interrogatories  ;  when  they  were  all  put,  he  gravely 
and  calmly  set  about  furnishing  his  answers.  The 
nistory  of  his  departure  from  Vevey,  his  appear 
ance  at  St.  Maurice,  Martigny,  Liddes,  and  St. 
Pierre,  was  distinctly  given,  and  it  was  in  perfect 
accordance  with  the  private  information  that  had 
been  gleaned  by  the  authorities.  He  had  passed 
the  last  habitation  on  the  mountain,  on  foot  and 
alone,  about  an  hour  before  the  solitary  horseman, 
who  was  now  known  to  be  Jacques  Colis,  was 
seen  to  proceed  in  the  same  direction;  and  he  ad 
mitted  that  he  was  overtaken  by  the  latter,  just  as 
he  reached  the  upper  extremity  of  the  plain  be 
neath  Velan,  where  they  were  seen  in  company, 
though  at  a  considerable  distance,  and  by  a  doubt 
ful  light,  by  the  travellers  who  were  conducted  by 
Pierre. 

Thus  far  the  account  given  of  himself  by  Maso 
was  in  perfect  conformity  with  what  was  already 
known  to  the  chatelain  ;  but,  after  turning  the  rock 
already  mentioned  in  a  previous  chapter,  all  was 
buried  in  mystery,  with  the  exception  of  the  inci 
dents  that  have  been  regularly  related  in  the  nar 
rative.  The  Italian,  in  his  further  explanations, 
added  that  he  soon  parted  with  his  companion,  who, 
impatient  of  delay,  and  desirous  of  reaching  the 
convent  before  night,  had  urged  his  beast  to  greater 
speed,  while  he  himself  had  turned  a  little  aside 
from  the  path  to  rest  himself,  and  to  make  a  few 
preparations  that  he  had  deemed  necessary  before 
going  directly  to  the  convent. 

The  whole  of  this  short  history  was  delivered 
with  a  composure  as  great  as  that  which  had  just 
been  displayed  by  Pippo  and  the  pilgrim  ;  and  it 
was  impossible  for  any  present  to  detect  the  slight 


464  THE    HEADSMAN. 

f*st  improbability  or  contradiction  in  the  tale.  The 
meeting  with  the  other  travellers  in  the  storm 
Maso  ascribed  to  the  fact  of  their  having  passed 
him  while  he  was  stationary,  and  to  his  greater 
speed  when  in  motion;  two  circumstances  that 
were  quite  as  likely  to  be  true  as  all  the  rest  of  the 
account.  He  had  left  the  Refuge  at  the  first 
glimpse  of  dawn,  because  he  was  behind  his  timey 
and  it  had  been  his  intention  to  descend  to  Aoste 
that  night,  an  exertion  that  wras  necessary  in  order 
to  repair  the  loss. 

"  This  may  be  true/'  resumed  the  judge ;  "  but 
how  dost  thou  account  for  thy  poverty  f  In  search 
ing  thy  effects,  thou  art  found  to  be  in  a  condition 
little  better  than  that  of  a  mendicant.  Even  thy 
purse  is  empty,  though  known  to  be  a  successful 
and  desperate  trifler  with  the  revenue,  in  all  those 
states  where  the  entrance  duty  is  enforced." 

"  He  that  plays  deepest,  Signore,  is  most  likely 
to  be  stripped  of  his  means.  What  is  there  new 
or  unlooked-for  in  the  fact  that  a  dealer  in  the 
contraband  should  lose  his  venture  1" 

"  This  is  more  plausible  than  convincing.  Thou 
art  signalled  as  being  accustomed  to  transport 
articles  of  the  jewellers  from  Geneva  into  the  ad 
joining  states,  and  thou  art  known  to  come  from  the 
head-quarters  of  these  artisans.  Thy  losses  must 
have  been  unusual,  to  have  left  thee  so  naked.  I 
much  fear  that  a  bootless  speculation  in  thy  usual 
trade  has  driven  thee  to  repair  the  loss  by  the 
murder  of  this  unhappy  man,  who  left  his  home 
well  supplied  with  gold,  and,  as  it  would  seem,  with 
a  valuable  store  of  jewelry,  too.  The  particulars 
are  especially  mentioned  in  this  written  account 
of  his  effects,  which  the  honorable  bailiff  bringeth 
from  his  friends." 

Maso  mused  silently,  and  in  deep  abstraction. 
He  then  desired  that  the  chapel  might  be  cleared 


THE    HEADSMAN.  465 

of  all  but  the  travellers  of  condition,  the  monks,  and 
his  judges.  The  request  was  granted,  for  it  was 
expected  that  he  was  about  to  make  an  important 
confession,  as  indeed,  in  a  certain  degree,  proved 
to  be  the  fact. 

"  Should  I  clear  myself  of  the  charge  of  poverty, 
Signor  Castellano,"  he  demanded,  when  all  the  in 
feriors  had  left  the  place,  "  shall  I  stand  acquitted 
in  your  eyes  of  the  charge  of  murder?" 

"  Surely  not :  still  thou  wilt  have  removed  one 
of  the  principal  grounds  of  temptation,  and  in  that 
thou  wilt  be  greatly  the  gainer,  for  we  know  that 
Jacques  Colis  hath  been  robbed  as  well  as  slain." 

Maso  appeared  to  deliberate  again,  as  a  man  is 
apt  to  pause  before  he  takes  a  step  that  may  rna- 
lerially  affect  his  interests.  But  suddenly  deciding, 
iike  a  man  of  prompt  opinions,  he  called  to  Nettu- 
no,  and,  seating  himself  on  the  steps  of  one  of  the 
side-altars,  he  proceeded  to  make  his  revelation 
with  great  method  and  coolness.  Removing  some 
of  the  long  shaggy  hair  of  the  dog,  II  Maledetto 
showed  the  attentive  and  curious  spectators  that  a 
belt  of  leather  had  been  ingeniously  placed  about 
the  body  of  the  animal,  next  its  skin.  It  was  so 
concealed  as  to  be  quite  hid  from  the  view  of  those 
who  did  not  make  particular  search,  a  process  that 
Nettuno,  judging  by  the  scowling  looks  he  threw 
at  most  present,  and  the  manner  in  which  he 
showed  his  teeth,  would  not  be  likely  to  permit  to 
a  stranger.  The  belt  was  opened,  and  Maso  laid  a 
glittering  necklace  of  precious  stones,  in  which 
rubies  and  emeralds  vied  with  other  gems  of  price, 
with  some  of  a  dealer's  coquetry,  under  the  strong 
light  of  the  lamp. 

"  There  you  see  the  fruits  of  a  life  of  hazards 
and  hardships,  Signor  Chatelain,"  he  said ;  "  if  my 
purse  is  empty,  it  is  because  the  Jewish  Calvinists 


466  THE    HEADSMAN. 

of  Geneva  have  taken  the  last  Hard  in  payment  of 
the  jewels." 

"  This  is  an  ornament  of  rare  beauty  and  ex 
ceeding  value,  to  be  seen  in  the  possession  of  one 
of  thy  appearance  and  habits,  Maso !"  exclaimed 
the  frugal  Valaisan. 

"  Signore,  its  cost  was  a  hundred  doppie  of  pure 
gold  and  full  weight,  and  it  is  contracted  for  with 
a  young  noble  of  Milano,  who  hopes  to  win  his 
mistress  by  the  present,  for  a  profit  of  fifty.  Affairs 
were  getting  low  with  me  in  consequence  of  sun 
dry  seizures  and  a  total  wreck,  and  I  took  the  ad 
venture  with  the  hope  of  sudden  and  great  gain. 
As  there  is  nothing  against  the  laws  of  Valais  in 
the  matter,  I  trust  to  stand  acquitted,  chatelain, 
for  my  frankness.  One  who  was  master  of  this 
would  be  little  likely  to  shed  blood  for  the  trifle 
that  would  be  found  on  the  person  of  Jacques  Colis." 

"  Thou  hast  more,"  observed  the  judge,  sign 
ing  with  his  hand  as  he  spoke ;  "  let  us  see  all 
thou  hast." 

"Not  a  brooch,  or  so  much  as  a  worthless 
garnet." 

"  Nay,  I  see  the  belt  which  contains  them  among 
the  hairs  of  the  dog." 

Maso  either  felt  or  feigned  a  well-acted  surprise. 
Nettuno  had  been  placed  in  a  convenient  attitude 
for  his  master  to  unloosen  the  belt,  and,  as  it  was 
the  intention  of  the  latter  to  replace  it,  the  animal 
still  lay  quietly  in  the  same  position,  a  circumstance 
which  displaced  his  shaggy  coat,  and  allowed  the 
chatelain  to  detect  the  object  to  which  he  had  just 
alluded. 

"  Signore,"  said  the  smuggler,  changing  color 
but  endeavoring  to  speak  lightly  of  a  discovery 
which  all  the  others  present  evidently  considered 
to  be  grave,  "  it  would  seem  that  the  dog,  accus 


THE    HEADSMAN.  467 

tomed  to  do  these  little  offices  in  behalf  of  his 
master,  has  been  tempted  by  success  to  undertake 
a  speculation  on  his  own  account.  By  my  patron 
saint  and  the  Virgin !  I  know  nothing  of  this  sec 
ond  adventure." 

"  Trifle  not,  but  undo  the  belt,  lest  I  have  the 
beast  muzzled  that  it  may  be  performed  by  others." 
sternly  commanded  the  chatelain. 

The  Italian  complied,  though  with  an  ill  grace 
that  was  much  too  apparent  for  his  own  interest. 
Having  loosened  the  fastenings,  he  reluctantly  gave 
the  envelope  to  the  Valaisan.  The  latter  cut  the 
cloth,  and  laid  some  ten  or  fifteen  different  pieces 
of  jewelry  on  the  table.  The  spectators  crowded 
about  the  spot  in  curiosity,  while  the  judge  eagerly 
referred  to  the  written  description  of  the  effects  of 
the  murdered  man. 

"  A  ring  of  brilliants,  with  an  emerald  of  price, 
the  setting  chased  and  heavy,"  read  the  Valaisan. 

"  Thank  God,  it  is  not  here !"  exclaimed  the 
Signor  Grimaldi.  "  One  could  wish  to  find  so  true 
a  mariner  innocent  of  this  bloody  deed!" 

The  chatelain  believed  he  was  on  the  scent  of  a 
secret  that  had  begun  to  perplex  him,  and  as  few 
are  so  inherently  humane  as  to  prefer  the  advan 
tage  of  another  to  their  own  success,  he  heard  both 
the  announcement  and  the  declaration  of  the  noble 
Genoese  with  a  frown. 

"  A  cross  of  turquoise  of  the  length  of  two  inch 
es,  with  pearls  of  no  great  value  intermixed,"  con 
tinued  the  judge. 

Sigismund  groaned  and  turned  away  from  the 
table. 

"  Unhappily,  here  is  that  which  too  well  answers 
to  the  description !"  slowly  and  with  evident  re 
luctance,  escaped  from  the  Signor  Grimaldi. 

"  Let  it  be  measured,"  demanded  the  prisoner 


468  THE    HEADSMAN. 

The  experiment  was  made,  and  the  agreement 
was  found  to  be  perfect. 

"  Bracelets  of  rubies,  the  stones  set  in  foil,  and 
six  in  number,"  continued  the  methodical  cliate- 
lain,  whose  eye  now  lighted  with  the  triumph  of 
victory. 

"  These  are  wanting !"  cried  Melchior  de  Wil- 
lading,  who,  in  common  with  all  whom  he  had 
served,  took  a  lively  interest  in  the  fate  of  Maso. 
"  There  are  no  jewels  of  this  description  here !" 

"  Come  to  the  next,  Herr  Chatelain,"  put  in  Pe- 
terchen,  leaning  to  the  side  of  the  law's  triumph ; 
"  let  us  have  the  next,  o'  God's  name !" 

"  A  brooch  of  amethyst,  the  stone  of  our  own 
mountains,  set  in  foil,  and  the  size  of  one-eighth  of 
an  inch ;  form  oval." 

It  was  lying  on  the  table,  beyond  all  possibility 
of  dispute.  All  the  remaining  articles,  which 
were  chiefly  rings  of  the  less  prized  stones,  such 
as  jasper,  granite,  topaz,  and  turquoise,  were  also 
identified,  answering  perfectly  to  the  description 
furnished  by  the  jeweller,  who  had  sold  them  to 
Jacques  Colis  the  night  of  the  fete,  when,  with 
Swiss  thrift,  he  had  laid  in  this  small  stock  in  trade, 
with  a  view  to  diminish  the  cost  of  his  intended 
journey. 

"  It  is  a  principle  of  law,  unfortunate  man,"  re 
marked  the  chatelain,  removing  the  spectacles  he 
had  mounted  in  order  to  read  the  list,  '*  that  effects 
wrongly  taken  from  one  robbed  criminate  him  in 
whose  possession  they  are  found,  unless  he  can 
render  a  clear  account  of  the  transfer.  What  hast 
thou  to  say  on  this  head  ?" 

"  Not  a  syllable,  Signore ;  I  must  refer  you  and 
all  others  to  the  dog,  who  alone  can  furnish  the 
history  of  these  baubles.  It  is  clear  that  I  am  lit 
tle  known  in  the  Valais,  for  Maso  never  deals  in 
trifles  insignificant  as  these." 


THE    HEADSMAIT.  469 

"  The  pretext  will  not  serve  thee,  Maso ;  thou 
triflest  in  an  affair  of  life  and  death.  Wilt  thou 
confess  thy  crime,  ere  we  proceed  to  extremi 
ties?" 

"  That  I  have  been  long  at  open  variance  with 
the  law,  Signor  Castellano,  is  true,  if  you  will  have 
it  so ;  but  I  am  as  innocent  of  this  man's  death  as 
the  noble  Baron  de  Willading  here.  That  the  Ge 
noese  authorities  were  looking  for  me,  on  account 
of  some  secret  understanding  that  the  republic 
has  with  its  old  enemies,  the  Savoyards,  I  frankly 
allow  too ;  but  it  was  a  matter  of  gain,  and  not 
of  blood.  I  have  taken  life  in  my  time,  Signore, 
but  it  has  been  in  fair  combat,  whether  the  cause 
was  just  or  not." 

"  Enough  has  been  proved  against  thee  already 
to  justify  the  use  of  the  torture  in  order  to  have 
the  rest." 

'•Nay,  I  do  not  see  the  necessity  of  this  ap 
peal,"  remarked  the  bailiff.  "  There  "lies  the  dead, 
here  is  his  property,  and  yonder  stands  the  crim 
inal.  It  is  an  affair  that  only  wants  the  forms,  me- 
thinks,  to  be  committed  presently  to  the  axe." 

"  Of  all  the  foul  offences  against  God  and  man," 
resumed  the  Valaisan,  in  the  manner  of  one  that 
is  about  to  sentence,  "  that  which  hastens  a  living 
soul,  unshrived,  unconfessed,  unprepared,  and  with 
all  its  sins  upon  it,  into  another  state  of  being  and 
into  the  dread  presence  of  his  Almighty  Judge,  is 
the  heaviest,  and  the  last  to  be  overlooked  by  the 
law.  There  is  less  excuse  for  thee,  Thomaso  San- 
ti,  for  thy  education  has  been  far  superior  to  thy 
fortunes,  and  thou  hast  passed  a  life  of  vice  and 
violence  in  opposition  to  thy  reason  and  what  was 
taught  thee  in  youth.  Thou  hast,  therefore,  little 
ground  for  hope,  since  the  state  I  serve  loves  jus 
tice  in  its  purity  above  all  other  qualities." 
2P 


470  THE    HEADSMAN. 

"  Nobly  spoken !  Herr  Chatelain,"  cried  the  bai 
liff,  "  and  in  a  manner  to  send  repentance  like  a 
dagger  into  the  criminal's  soul.  What  is  thought 
and  said  in  Valais  we  echo  in  Vaud,  and  I  would 
not  that  any  I  love  stood  in  thy  shoes,  Maso,  for 
the  honors  of  the  emperor  !" 

"  Signori,  you  have  both  spoken,  and  it  is  as 
men  whom  fortune  hath  favored  since  childhood. 
It  is  easy  for  those  who  are  in  prosperity  to  be 
upright  in  all  that  touches  money,  though  by  the 
light  of  the  blessed  Maria's  countenance !  I  do 
think  there  is  more  coveted  by  those  who  have 
much  than  by  the  hardy  and  industrious  poor.  1 
am  no  stranger  to  that  which  men  call  justice, 
and  know  how  to  honor  and  respect  its  decrees  as 
they  deserve.  Justice,  Signori,  is  the  weak  man's 
scourge  and  the  strong  man's  sword :  it  is  a  breast 
plate  and  back-plate  to  the  one  and  a  weapon  to 
be  parried  by  the  other.  In  short,  it  is  a  word  of 
fair  import  on  the  tongue,  but  of  most  unequal 
application  in  the  deed." 

"  We  overlook  thy  language  in  consideration  of 
the  pass  to  which  thy  crimes  have  reduced  thee, 
unhappy  man,  though  it  is  an  aggravation  of  thy 
offences,  since  it  proves  thou  hast  sinned  equally 
against  thyself  and  us.  This  affair  need  go  no 
farther;  the  headsman  and  the  other  travellers  may 
be  dismissed  :  we  commit  the  Italian  to  the  irons." 

Maso  heard  the  order  without  alarm,  though  he 
appeared  to  be  maintaining  a  violent  struggle  with 
himself.  He  paced  the  chapel  rapidly,  and  muttered 
much  between  his  teeth.  His  words  were  not  in 
telligible,  though  they  were  evidently  of  strong,  if 
not  violent,  import.  At  length  he  stopped  short,  in 
the  manner  of  one  who  had  decided. 

"  This  matter  grows  serious,"  he  said  :  "  it  will 
admit  of  no  farther  hesitation.  Signer  Grimaldi 


THE    HEADSMAN.  471 

command  a?ll  to  leave  the  chapel  in  whose  discre 
tion  you  have  not  the  most  perfect  confidence." 

"I  see  none  to  be  distrusted,"  answered  the 
surprised  Genoese. 

"  Then  will  I  speak." 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Thy  voice  to  us  is  wind  among  still  woods. 

SHELLEY. 

NOTWITHSTANDING  the  gravity  of  the  facts  which 
were  accumulating  against  him,  Maso  had  main 
tained  throughout  the  foregoing  scene  much  of 
that  steady  self-possession  and  discernment  which 
were  the  fruits  of  adventure  in  scenes  of  danger, 
long  exposure,  and  multiplied  hazards.  To  these 
causes  of  coolness,  might  be  added  the  iron-like 
nerves  inherited  from  nature.  The  latter  were  not 
easily  disturbed,  however  critical  the  state  to  which 
he  was  reduced.  Still  he  had  changed  color,  and 
his  manner  had  that  thoughtful  and  unsettled  air 
which  denote  the  consciousness  of  being  in  circum 
stances  that  require  uncommon  wariness  and  judg 
ment.  But  his  final  opinion  appeared  to  be  formed 
when  he  made  the  appeal  mentioned  in  the  close 
of  the  last  chapter,  and  he  now  only  waited  for 
the  two  or  three  officials  who  were  present  to  retire, 
oefore  he  pursued  his  purpose.  When  the  door 
was  closed,  leaving  none  but  his  examiners,  Sigis- 
mund  Balthazar,  and  the  group  of  females  in  the 
side-chapel,  he  turned,  with  singular  respect  of 
manner,  and  addressed  himself  exclusively  to  the 
Signor  Grimaldi,  as  if  the  judgment  which  was  to 
decide  his  fate  depended  solely  on  his  will. 

"  Signore,"  he  said,  "  there  has  been  much  secret 


472  THE    HEADSMAN. 

allusion  between  us,  and  I  suppose  that  it  is  unne 
cessary  for  me  to  say,  that  you  are  known  to  me.' 

"  I  have  already  recognized  thee  for  a  country 
man,"  coldly  returned  the  Genoese ;  "  it  is  vain 
however,  to  imagine  the  circumstance  can  avail  a 
murderer.  If  any  consideration  could  induce  me 
to  forget  the  claims  of  justice,  the  recollection  of 
thy  good  service  on  the  Leman  would  prove  thy 
best  friend.  As  it  is,  I  fear  thou  hast  naught  to 
expect  from  me." 

Maso  was  silent.  He  looked  the  other  steadily 
in  the  face,  as  if  he  would  study  his  character, 
though  he  guardedly  prevented  his  manner  from 
losing  its  appearance  of  profound  respect. 

"  Signore,  the  chances  of  life  were  greatly  with 
you  at  the  birth.  You  were  born  the  heir  of  a 
powerful  house,  in  which  gold  is  more  plenty  than 
woes  in  a  poor  man's  cabin,  and  you  have  not  been 
made  to  learn  by  experience  how  hard  it  is  to  keep 
down  the  longings  for  those  pleasures  which  the 
base  metal  will  purchase,  when  we  see  others 
rolling  in  its  luxuries." 

"  This  plea  will  not  avail  thee,  unfortunate  man; 
else  were  there  an  end  of  human  institutions.  The 
difference  of  which  thou  speakest  is  a  simple  con 
sequence  of  the  rights  of  property ;  and  even  the 
barbarian  admits  the  sacred  duty  of  respecting  that 
which  is  another's." 

"A  word  from  one  like  you,  illustrious  Signore, 
would  open  for  me  the  road  to  Piedmont,"  con 
tinued  Maso,  unmoved :  "  once  across  the  frontiers, 
it  shall  be  my  care  never  to  molest  the  rocks  of 
Valais  again.  I  ask  only  what  I  have  been  the 
means  of  saving,  eccellenza, — life.' 

The  Signor  Grimaldi  shook  his  head,  though  it 
was  very  evident  that  he  declined  the  required  in 
tercession  with  much  reluctance.  He  and  old 
Melchior  de  Willading  exchanged  glances;  and 


THE    HEAJTf/AK.  473 

all  who  noted  this  silent  intercourse  understood  it 
to  say,  that  each  considered  duty  to  God  a  higher 
obligation  than  gratitude  for  a  service  rendered  to 
themselves. 

"  Ask  gold,  or  what  thou  wilt  else,  but  do  not 
ask  me  to  aid  in  defeating  justice.  Gladly  would 
I  have  given  for  the  asking,  twenty  times  the  value 
of  those  miserable  baubles  for  whose  possession, 
Maso,  thou  hast  rashly  taken  life ;  but  I  cannot 
become  a  sharer  of  thy  crime,  by  refusing  atone 
ment  to  his  friends.  It  is  too  late :  I  cannot  be 
friend  thee  now,  if  I  would." 

"  Thou  hearest  the  answer  of  this  noble  gentle 
man,"  interposed  the  chatelain ;  "  it  is  wise  and 
seemly,  and  thou  greatly  overratest  his  influence 
or  that  of  any  present,  if  thou  fanciest  the  laws 
can  be  set  aside  at  pleasure.  Wert  thou  a  noble 
thyself,  or  the  son  of  a  prince,  judgment  would 
have  its  way  in  the  Valais !" 

Maso  smiled  wildly ;  and  yet  the  expression  of 
his  glittering  eve  was  so  ironical  as  to  cause  un 
easiness  in  his  judge.  The  Signor  Grimaldi,  too, 
observed  the  audacious  confidence  of  his  air  with 
distrust,  for  his  spirit  had  taken  secret  alarm  on 
a  subject  that  was  rarely  long  absent  from  his 
thoughts. 

"  If  thou  meanest  more  than  has  been  said,"  ex 
claimed  the  latter,  "  for  the  sake  of  the  blessed 
Maria  be  explicit !" 

"  Signor  Melchior,"  continued  Maso,  turning  to 
the  baron,  "I  did  you  and  your  daughter  fair  ser 
vice  on  the  lake !" 

"  That  thou  didst,  Maso,  we  are  both  willing  to 
admit,  and  were  it  in  Berne, — but  the  laws  are 
made  equally  for  all,  the  great  and  the  humble 
they  who  have  friends,  and  they  who  have  none." 

"  I  have  heard  of  this  act  on  the  lake,"  put  in 
Peterchen ;  "  and  unless  fame  lieth — which,  Heaven 
2P2 


474  THE    HEADSMAN. 

knows,  fame  is  apt  enough  to  do,  except  in  giving 
their  just  dues  to  those  who  are  in  high  trusts, — 
thou  didst  conduct  thyself  in  that  affair,  Maso,  like 
a  loyal  and  well-taught  mariner :  but  the  honorable 
chatelain  has  well  remarked,  that  holy  justice  must 
have  way  before  all  other  things.  Justice  is  repre 
sented  as  blind,  in  order  that  it  may  be  seen  she  is 
no  respecter  of  persons ;  and  wert  thou  an  Avoyer, 
the  decree  must  come.  Reflect  maturely,  there 
fore,  on  all  the  facts,  and  thou  wilt  come,  in  time, 
to  see  the  impossibility  of  thine  own  innocence. 
First,  thou  left  the  path,  being  ahead  of  Jacques 
Colis,  to  enter  it  at  a  moment  suited  to  thy  pur 
poses  :  then  thou  took'st  his  life  for  gold — " 

'*  But  this  is  believing  that  to  be  true,  Signor 
Bailiff,  which  is  only  yet  supposed,"  interrupted 
II  Maledetto ;  "  I  left  the  path  to  give  Nettuno  his 
charge  apart  from  curious  eyes;  and,  as  for  the 
gold  of  which  you  speak,  would  the  owner  of  a 
necklace  of  that  price  be  apt  to  barter  his  soul 
against  a  booty  like  this  which  comes  of  Jacques 
Colis!" 

Maso  spoke  with  a  contempt  which  did  not  serve 
his  cause;  for  it  left  the  impression  among  the  au 
ditors,  that  he  weighed  the  morality  and  immoral 
ity  of  his  acts  simply  by  their  result. 

" "  It  is  time  to  bring  this  to  an  end,"  said  the 
Signor  Grimaldi,  who  had  been  thoughtful  and 
melancholy  while  the  others  spoke:  "thou  hast 
something  to  address  particularly  to  me,  Maso; 
but  if  thy  claim  is  no  better  than  that  of  our  com 
mon  country,  I  grieve  to  sav,  it  cannot  be  admit 
ted." 

"  Signore,  the  voice  of  a  Doge  of  Genoa  is  not 
often  raised  in  vain,  when  he  would  use  it  in  behalf 
of  another  !" 

At  this  sudden  announcement  of  the  traveller's 
ror.k,  the  monks  and  the  chatelain  started  in  sur- 


THE    HEADSMAN.  475 

prise,  and  a  low  murmur  of  wonder  was  heard  in 
the  chapel.  The  smile  of  Peterchen,  and  the  com 
posure  of  the  Baron  de  Willading,  however,  show 
ed  that  they,  at  least,  learned  nothing  new.  The 
bailiff  whispered  the  prior  significantly,  and  from 
that  moment  his  deportment  towards  the  Genoese 
took  still  more  of  the  character  of  formal  and 
official  respect.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Signor 
Grimaldi  remained  composed,  like  one  accustomed 
to  receive  deference,  though  his  manner  lost  the 
slight  degree  of  restraint  that  had  been  imposed  by 
the  observance  of  the  temporary  character  he  had 
assumed. 

"  The  voice  of  a  Doge  of  Genoa  should  not  be 
used  in  intercession,  unless  in  behalf  of  the  inno 
cent,"  he  replied,  keeping  his  severe  eye  fastened 
on  the  countenance  of  the  accused. 

Again  II  Maledetto  seemed  laboring  with  some 
secret  that  struggled  on  his  tongue. 

"  Speak,"  continued  the  Prince  of  Genoa ;  for  it 
was,  in  truth,  that  high  functionary,  who  had  jour 
neyed  incognito,  in  the  hope  of  meeting  his  ancient 
friend  at  the  sports  of  Vevey.  "  Speak,  Maso,  if 
thou  hast  aught  serious  to  urge  in  favor  of  thyself; 
time  presses,  and  the  sight  of  one  to  whom  I  owe 
so  much  in  this  great  jeopardy,  without  the  power 
to  aid  him,  grows  painful." 

"  Signor  Doge,  though  deaf  to  pity,  you  cannot 
be  deaf  to  nature." 

The  countenance  of  the  Doge  became  livid ;  his 
lips  trembled  even  to  the  appearance  of  convul 
sions. 

"  Deal  no  longer  in  mystery,  man  of  blood !"  he 
said  with  energy.  "  What  is  thy  meaning  ?" 

"I  entreat  your  eccellenza  to  be  calm.  Neces 
sity  forces  me  to  speak;  for,  as  you  see,  I  stand 
between  this  revelation  and  the  block — I  am  Bar- 
tolo  Contini !" 


476  THE    HEADSMAN. 

The  groan  that  escaped  the  compressed  lips  of 
rhe  Doge,  the  manner  in  which  he  sank  into  a  seat, 
and  the  hue  of  death  that  settled  over  his  aged 
countenance,  until  it  was  more  ghastly  even  than 
that  of  the  unhappy  victim  of  violence,  drew  all 
present,  in  wonder  and  alarm,  around  his  chair. 
Signing  for  those  who  pressed  upon  him  to  give 
way,  the  Prince  sat  gazing  at  Maso,  with  eyes 
that  appeared  ready  to  burst  from  their  sockets. 

"  Thou  Bartolomeo !"  he  uttered  huskily,  as  if 
horror  had  frozen  his  voice. 

"  I  am  Bartolo,  Signore,  and  no  other.  He  who 
goes  through  many  scenes  hath  occasion  for  many 
names.  Even  your  Highness  travels  at  times 
under  a  cloud." 

The  Doge  continued  to  stare  on  the  speaker  with 
the  fixedness  of  regard  that  one  might  be  supposed 
to  fasten  on  a  creature  of  unearthly  existence. 

"  Melchior,"  he  said  slowly,  turning  his  eyes 
from  one  to  the  other  of  the  forms  that  filled  them, 
for  Sigismund  had  advanced  to  the  side  of  Maso, 
in  kind  concern  for  the  old  man's  condition, — 
"  Melchior,  we  are  but  feeble  and  miserable  crea 
tures  in  the  hand  of  one  who  looks  upon  the  proud 
est  and  happiest  of  us,  as  we  look  upon  the  worm 
that  crawls  the  earth !  What  are  hope,  and  honor, 
and  our  fondest  love,  in  the  great  train  of  events 
that  time  heaves  from  its  womb,  bringing  forth  to 
our  confusion  ?  Are  we  proud  ?  fortune  revenges 
itself  for  our  want  of  humility  by  its  scorn.  Are 
we  happy?  it  is  but  the  calm  that  precedes  the 
storm.  Are  we  great?  it  is  but  to  lead  us  into 
abuses  that  will  justify  our  fall.  Are  we  honored 
stains  tarnish  our  good  names,  in  spite  of  all  our 
care !" 

"  He  who  puts  his  trust  in  the  Son  of  Maria  need 
never  despair!"  whispered  the  worthy  clavier 


THE    HEADSMAN.  477 

touched  nearly  to  tears  by  the  sudden  distress  of 
one  whom  he  had  learned  to  respect.  "  Let  the 
fortunes  of  the  world  pass  away,  or  change  as 
they  will,  his  chastening  love  outliveth  time  !" 

The  Signor  Grimaldi,  for,  though  the  elected  of 
Genoa,  such  was  in  truth  the  family  name  of  the 
Doge,  turned  his  vacant  gaze  for  an  instant  on  the 
Augustine,  but  it  soon  reverted  to  the  forms  and 
faces  of  Maso  and  Sigismund,  who  still  stood  be 
fore  him,  filling  his  thoughts  even  more  than  his 
sight. 

"  Yes,  there  is  a  power — "  he  resumed,  "  a  great 
and  beneficent  Being  to  equalize  our  fortunes  here, 
and  when  we  pass  into  another  state  of  being, 
loaded  with  the  wrongs  of  this,  we  shall  have  jus 
tice!  Tell  me,  Melchior,  thou  who  knew  my 
youth,  who  read  my  heart  when  it  was  open  as 
day,  what  was  there  in  it  to  deserve  this  punish 
ment  ?  Here  is  Balthazar,  come  of  a  race  of  exe 
cutioners — a  man  condemned  of  opinion — that  pre 
judice  besets  with  a  hedge  of  hatred — that  men 
point  at  with  their  fingers,  and  whom  the  dogs  are 
ready  to  bay — this  Balthazar  is  the  father  of  that 
gallant  youth,  whose  form  is  so  perfect,  whose 
spirit  is  so  noble,  and  whose  life  so  pure ;  while  I, 
the  last  of  a  line  that  is  lost  in  the  obscurity  of 
time,  the  wealthiest  of  my  land,  and  the  chosen  of 
my  peers,  am  accursed  with  an  outcast,  a  common 
brigand,  a  murderer,  for  the  sole  prop  of  my  de 
caying  house — with  this  II  Maledetto — this  man 
accursed — for  a  son !" 

A  movement  of  astonishment  escaped  the  listeners, 
even  the  Baron  de  Willading  not  suspecting  the 
real  cause  of  his  friend's  distress.  Maso  alone  was 
unmoved ;  for  while  the  aged  father  betrayed  the 
keenness  of  his  anguish,  the  son  discovered  none 
of  that  sympathy  of  which  even  a  life  like  his  might 
be  supposed  to  have  left  some  remains  in  the  heart 


478  THE    HEADSMAN. 

of  a  child.  He  was  cold,  collected,  observant,  and 
master  of  his  smallest  action. 

"  I  will  not  believe  this,"  exclaimed  the  Doge, 
whose  very  soul  revolted  at  this  unfeeling  apathy, 
even  more  than  at  the  disgrace  of  being  the  father 
of  such  a  child ;  "  thou  art  not  he  thou  pretendest  to 
be;  this  foul  lie  is  uttered  that  my  natural  feelings 
may  interpose  between  thee  and  the  block !  Prove 
thy  truth,  or  I  abandon  thee  to  thy  fate." 

"  Signore,  I  would  have  saved  this  unhappy  ex 
hibition,  but  you  would  not.  That  I  am  Bartolo 
this  signet,  your  own  gift  sent  to  be  my  protection 
in  a  strait  like  this,  will  show.  It  is,  moreover, 
easy  for  me  to  prove  what  I  say,  by  a  hundred 
witnesses  who  are  living  in  Genoa." 

The  Signor  Grimaldi  stretched  forth  a  hand 
that  trembled  like  an  aspen  to  receive  the  ring,  a 
jewel  of  little  price,  but  a  signet  that  he  had,  in 
truth,  sent  to  be  an  instrument  of  recognition  be 
tween  him  and  his  child,  in  the  event  of  any  sud 
den  calamity  befalling  the  latter.  He  groaned  as 
he  gazed  at  its  well-remembered  emblems,  for  its 
identity  was  only  too  plain. 

"  Maso — Bartolo — Gaetano — for  such,  misera 
ble  boy,  is  thy  real  appellation — thou  canst  not 
know  how  bitter  is  the  pang  that  an  unworthy 
child  brings  to  the  parent,  else  would  thy  life  have 
been  different.  Oh!  Gaetano!  Gaetano!  what  a 
foundation  art  thou  for  a  father's  hopes!  What 
a  subject  for  a  father's  love!  I  saw  thee  last  a 
smiling  innocent  cherub,  in  thy  nurse's  arms,  and  I 
find  thee  with  a  blighted  soul,  the  pure  fountain  of 
thy  mind  corrupted,  a  form  sealed  with  the  stamp 
of  vice,  and  with  hands  dyed  in  blood  ;  premature 
ly  old  in  body,  and  with  a  spirit  that  hath  already 
the  hellish  taint  of  the  damned  ! 

"  Signore,  you  find  me  as  the  chances  of  a  wild 
life  have  willed.  The  world  and  I  have  been  at 


THE    HEADSMAN.  470 

loggerheads  this  many  a  year,  and  in  trifling  with 
its  laws,  I  take  my  revenge  of  its  abuse — "  warm 
ly  returned  II  Maledetto,  for  his  spirit  began  to  be 
aroused.  "  Thou  bear'st  hard  upon  me,  Doge — 
father — or  what  thou  wilt — and  I  should  be  little 
worthy  of  my  lineage,  did  I  not  meet  thy  charges 
as  they  are  made.  Compare  thine  own  career 
with  mine,  and  let  it  be  proclaimed  by  sound  of 
trumpet  if  thou  wilt,  which  hath  most  reason  to  be 
proud,  and  which  to  exult.  Thou  wert  reared  in 
the  hopes  and  honors  of  our  name ;  thou  passed 
thy  youth  in  the  pursuit  of  arms  according  to  thy 
fancy,  and  when  tired  of  change,  and  willing  to 
narrow  thy  pleasures,  thou  looked  about  thee  for  a 
maiden  to  become  the  mother  of  thy  successor ; 
thou  turned  a  wishing  eye  on  one  young,  fair,  and 
noble,  but  whose  affections,  as  her  faith,  were 
solemnly,  irretrievably  plighted  to  another." 

The  Doge  shuddered  and  veiled  his  eye ;  but  he 
eagerly  interrupted  Maso. 

"  Her  kinsman  was  unworthy  of  her  love,"  he 
cried;  "he  was  an  outcast,  and  little  better  than 
thyself,  unhappy  boy,  except  in  the  chances  of 
condition." 

"  It  matters  not,  Signore ;  God  had  not  made 
you  the  arbiter  of  her  fate.  In  tempting  her  fam 
ily  by  your  greater  riches,  you  crushed  two  hearts, 
and  destroyed  the  hopes  of  your  fellow-creatures. 
In  her  was  sacrificed  an  angel,  mild  and  pure  as 
this  fair  creature  who  is  now  listening  so  breath 
lessly  to  my  words  ;  in  him  a  fierce  untamed  spirit, 
that  had  only  the  greater  need  of  management, 
since  it  was  as  likely  to  go  wrong  as  right.  Be 
fore  your  son  was  born,  this  unhappy  rival,  poor 
in  hopes  as  in  wealth,  had  become  desperate ;  and 
the  mother  of  your  child  sank  a  victim  to  her 
ceaseless  regrets,  at  her  own  want  of  faith  as  much 
as  for  his  follies." 


480  THE    HEADSMAN. 

"  Thy  mother  was  deluded,  Gaetano ;  she  never 
Knew  the  real  qualities  of  her  cousin,  or  a  soul 
(ike  hers  would  have  lothed  the  wretch." 

"  Signore,  it  matters  not,"  continued  II  Male- 
lett  >,  with  a  ruthless  perseverance  of  intention, 
anc*  a  coolness  of  manner  that  would  seem  to 
me*  t  the  description  which  had  just  been  given 
hi ?  spirit,  that  of  possessing  a  hellish  taint ;  "  she 
lo '  id  him  with  a  woman's  heart ;  and  with  a  wo- 
w  •  a's  ingenuity  and  confidence,  she  ascribed  his 
fcr ,  to  despair  for  her  loss." 

'  Oh,  Melchior !  Melchior !  this  is  fearfully  true !" 
gi  3aned  the  Doge. 

"  It  is  so  true,  Signore,  that  it  should  be  written 
on  my  mother's  tomb.  We  are  children  of  a  fiery 
climate  ;  the  passions  burn  in  our  Italy  like  the  hot 
sun  that  glows  there.  When  despair  drove  the 
disappointed  lover  to  acts  that  rendered  him  an 
outlaw,  the  passage  to  revenge  was  short.  Your 
child  was  stolen,  hid  from  your  view,  and  cast 
upon  the  world  under  circumstances  that  left  little 
doubt  of  his  living  in  bitterness,  and  dying  under 
the  contempt,  if  not  the  curses,  of  his  fellows.  All 
this,  Signor  Grimaldi,  is  the  fruit  of  your  own 
errors.  Had  you  respected  the  affections  of  an 
innocent  girl,  the  sad  consequences  to  yourself  and 
me  might  have  been  avoided." 

"  Is  this  man's  history  to  be  believed,  Gaetano?" 
demanded  the  baron,  who  had  more  than  once 
betrayed  a  wish  to  check  the  rude  tongue  of  the 
speaker. 

"  I  do  not — I  cannot  deny  it ;  I  never  saw  my 
own  conduct  in  this  criminal  light  before,  and  yet 
now  it  all  seems  frightfully  true !" 

II  Maledetto  laughed.  Those  around  him  thougnt 
his  untimely  merriment  resembled  the  mockery  of 
a  devil. 

'•'  This  is  the  manner  in  which  men  continue  to 


THE   HEADSMAN.  481 

sin,  while  they  lay  claim  to  the  merit  of  innocence  \" 
he  added,  "  Let  the  great  of  the  earth  give  but 
half  the  care  to  prevent,  that  they  show  to  punish, 
offences  against  themselves,  and  what  is  now  called 
justice  will  no  longer  be  a  stalking-horse  to  ena 
ble  a  few  to  live  at  the  cost  of  the  rest.  As  for 
me,  I  am  proof  of  what  noble  blood  and  illustrious 
ancestry  can  do  for  themselves !  Stolen  when  a 
child,  Nature  has  had  fair  play  in  my  temperament, 
which  I  own  is  more  disposed  to  wild  adventure 
and  manly  risks  than  to  the  pleasures  of  marble 
halls.  Noble  father  of  mine,  were  this  spirit  dressed 
up  in  the  guise  of  a  senator,  or  a  doge,  it  might 
fare  badly  with  Genoa !" 

"  Unfortunate  man,"  exclaimed  the  indignant 
prior,  "  is  this  language  for  a  child  to  use  to  his 
father  ?  Dost  thou  forget  that  the  blood  of  Jacques 
Colis  is  on  thy  soul  ?" 

"  Holy  Augustine,  the  candor  with  which  my 
general  frailties  are  allowed,  should  gain  me  credit 
when  I  speak  of  particular  accusations.  By  the 
hopes  and  piety  of  the  reverend  canon  of  Aoste, 
thy  patron  saint  and  founder !  I  am  guiltless  of  this 
crime.  Question  Nettuno  as  you  will,  or  turn  the 
affair  in  every  way  that  usage  warrants,  and  let 
appearances  take  what  shape  they  may,  I  swear 
to  you  my  innocence.  If  ye  think  that  fear  of 
punishment  tempts  me  to  utter  a  lie,  under  these 
holy  appeals,  (he  crossed  himself  with  reverence,) 
ye  do  injustice  both  to  my  courage  and  to  my  love 
of  the  saints.  The  only  son  of  the  reigning  Doge  of 
Genoa  hath  little  to  fear  from  the  headsman's  blow !" 

Again  M aso  laughed.  It  was  the  confidence  of 
one  who  knew  the  world  ind  who  was  too  auda 
cious  even  to  consult  appearances  unless  it  suited 
his  humor,  breaking  out  in  very  wantonness.  A 
man  who  had  led  his  life,  was  not  to  learn  at  this 
late  day,  that  the  want  of  eyes  in  Justice  oftener 


482  THE   HEADSMAN. 

means  blindness  to  the  faults  of  the  privileged,  than 
the  impartiality  that  is  assumed  by  the  pretending 
emblem.  The  chatelain,  the  prior,  the  bailiff,  the 
clavier,  and  the  Baron  de  Willading,  looked  at  each 
other  like  men  bewildered.  The  mental  agony  of 
the  Doge  formed  a  contrast  so  frightful  with  the 
heartless  and  cruel  insensibility  of  the  son,  that  the 
sight  chilled  their  blood.  The  sentiment  was  only 
the  more  common,  from  the  silent  but  general  con 
viction,  that  the  unfeeling  criminal  must  be  per 
mitted  to  escape.  There  was,  indeed,  no  precedent 
for  leading  the  child  of  a  prince  to  the  block,  un 
less  it  were  for  an  offence  which  touched  the  pre 
servation  of  the  father's  interests.  Much  was  said 
in  maxims  and  apophthegms  of  the  purity  and  ne 
cessity  of  rigid  impartiality  in  administering  the 
affairs  of  life,  but  neither  had  attained  his  years 
and  experience  without  obtaining  glimpses  of  prac 
tical  things,  that  taught  them  to  foresee  the  impunity 
of  Maso.  Too  much  violence  would  be  done  to  a 
factitous  and  tottering  edifice,  were  it  known  that 
a  prince's  son  was  no  better  than  one  of  the  vilest, 
and  the  lingering  feelings  of  paternity  were  certain 
at  last  to  cast  a  shield  before  the  offender. 

The  embarrassment  and  doubt  attending  such  a 
state  of  things  was  happily,  but  quite  unexpectedly, 
relieved  by  the  interference  of  Balthazar.  The 
headsman,  until  this  moment,  had  been  a  silent  and 
attentive  listener  to  all  that  passed ;  but  now  he 
pressed  himself  into  the  circle,  and  looking,  in  his 
quiet  manner,  from  one  to  the  other,  he  spoke  with 
the  assurance  that  the  certainty  of  having  import 
ant  intelligence  to  impart,  is  apt  to  give  even  to 
the  meekest,  in  the  presence  of  those  whom  they 
habitually  respect. 

"  This  broken  tale  of  Maso,"  he  said,  "  is  remov 
ing  a  cloud  that  has  lain,  for  near  thirty  years 
before  my  eyes.  Is  it  true,  illustrious  Doge,  for 


THE    HEAliSMAN.  483 

such  it  appears  is  your  princely  state,  that  a  son 
of  your  noble  stock  was  stolen  and  kept  in  secret 
from  your  love,  through  the  vindictive  enmity  of  a 
rival  ?" 

"  True  ! — alas,  too  true  !  Would  it  had  pleased 
the  blessed  Maria,  who  so  cherished  his  mother,  to 
call  his  spirit  to  Heaven,  ere  the  curse  befell  him 
and  me !" 

"  Your  pardon,  great  Prince,  if  I  press  you 
with  questions  at  a  moment  so  painful.  But  it  is 
in  your  own  interest.  Suffer  that  I  ask  in  what 
year  this  calamity  befell  your  family  ?" 

The  Signor  Grimaldi  signed  for  his  friend  to 
assume  the  office  of  answering  these  extraordinary 
interrogatories,  while  he  buried  his  own  venerable 
face  in  his  cloak,  to  conceal  his  anguish  from  cu 
rious  eyes.  Melchior  de  Willading  regarded  the 
headsman  in  surprise,  and  for  an  instant  he  was 
disposed  to  repel  questions  that  seemed  importu 
nate  ;  but  the  earnest  countenance  and  mild,  decent 
demeanor  of  Balthazar,  overcame  his  repugnance 
to  pursue  the  subject. 

"  The  child  was  seized  in  the  autumn  of  the  year 
1693,"  he  answered,  his  previous  conferences  with 
his  friend  having  put  him  in  possession  of  all  the 
leading  facts  of  the  history. 

"  And  his  age  ?" 

"  Was  near  a  twelvemonth." 

"  Can  you  inform  me  what  beca.xie  of  the  prof 
ligate  noble  who  committed  this  foi  robbery  ?" 

"The  fate  of  the  Signore  Pantaleone  Serrani  has 
never  been  truly  known ;  though  there  is  a  dark 
rumor  that  he  died  in  a  brawl  in  our  own  Switzer 
land.  That  he  is  dead,  there  is  no  cause  to  doubt/ 

"  And  his  person,  noble  Freiherr — a  description 
of  his  person  is  now  only  wanting  to  throw  the 
light  of  a  noon- day  sun,  on  what  has  so  long  been 
night!" 


484  THE    HEADSMAN. 

"  I  knew  the  unlucky  Signore  Pantaleone  well 
in  early  youth.  At  the  time  mentioned  his  years 
might  have  been  thirty,  his  form  was  seemly  and 
of  middle  height,  his  features  bore  the  Italian  out 
line,  with  the  dark  eye,  swarthy  skin  and  glossy 
hair  of  the  climate.  More  than  this,  with  the  ex 
ception  of  a  finger  lost  in  one  of  our  affairs  in 
Lombardy,  I  cannot  say." 

"  This  is  enough,"  returned  the  attentive  Bal 
thazar.  "  Dismiss  your  grief,  princely  Doge,  and 
prepare  your  heart  for  a  new-found  joy.  Instead 
of  being  the  parent  of  this  reckless  freebooter,  God 
at  length  pities  and  returns  your  real  son  in  Sigis- 
mund,  a  child  that  might  gladden  the  heart  of  any 
parent,  though  he  were  an  emperor !" 

This  extraordinary  declaration  was  made  to 
stunned  and  confounded  listeners.  A  cry  of  alarm 
bust  from  the  lips  of  Marguerite,  who  approached 
the  group  in  the  centre  of  the  chapel,  trembling 
and  anxious  as  if  the  grave  were  about  to  rob  her 
of  a  treasure. 

"  What  is  this  I  hear  !"  exclaimed  the  mother, 
whose  sensitiveness  was  the  first  to  take  alarm. 
"  Are  my  half-formed  suspicions  then  too  true,  Bal 
thazar  ?  Am  I,  indeed,  without  a  son  ?  I  know  thou 
wouldst  not  trifle  with  a  mother,  or  mislead  this 
stricken  noble  in  a  thing  like  this  !  Speak,  again, 
that  I  may  know  the  truth— Sigismund  ! — " 

"  Is  not  our  child,"  answered  the  headsman, 
with  an  impress  of  truth  in  his  manner  that  went 
far  to  bring  conviction ;  "  our  own  boy  died  in  the 
blessed  state  of  infancy,  and,  to  save  thy  feelings, 
this  youth  was  substituted  in  his  place  by  me  with 
out  thy  knowledge." 

Marguerite  moved  nearer  to  the  young  man. 
She  gazed  wistfully  at  his  flushed,  excited  features, 
in  which  pain  at  being  so  unexpectedly  torn  from 
the  bosom  of  a  family  he  had  always  deemed  his 


THE    HEADSMAN.  485 

own,  was  fearfully  struggling  with  a  wild  and  in 
definite  delight  at  finding  himself  suddenly  relieved 
from  a  load  he  had  long  found  so  grievous  to  be 
borne.  Interpreting  the  latter  expression  with 
jealous  affection,  she  bent  her  face  to  her  bosom, 
and  retreated  in  silence  among  her  companions  to 
weep. 

In  the  mean  time  a  sudden  and  tumultuous  sur 
prise  took  possession  of  the  different  listeners,  which 
was  modified  akid  exhibited  according  to  tijeir  re 
spective  characters,  or  to  the  amount  of  interest 
that  each  had  in  the  truth  or  falsehood  of  what 
had  just  been  announced.  The  Doge  clung  to  the 
hope,  improbable  as  it  seemed,  with  a  tenacity  pro 
portioned  to  his  recent  anguish,  while  Sigismund 
stood  like  one  beside  himself.  His  eye  wandered 
from  the  simple  and  benevolent,  but  degraded,  man, 
whom  he  had  believed  to  be  his  father,  to  the  ven 
erable  and  imposing-looking  noble  who  was  now 
so  unexpectedly  presented  in  that  sacred  character. 
The  sobs  of  Marguerite  reached  his  ears,  and 
first  recalled  him  to  recollection.  They  came 
blended  with  the  fresh  grief  of  Christine,  who  felt 
as  if  ruthless  death  had  now  robbed  her  of  a  bro 
ther.  There  was  also  the  struggling  emotion  of 
one  whose  interest  in  him  had  a  still  more  tender 
and  engrossing  claim. 

"  This  is  so  wonderful!"  said  the  trembling  Doge, 
who  dreaded  lest  the  next  syllable  that  was  uttered 
might  destroy  the  blessed  illusion,  "  so  wildly  im 
probable,  that,  though  my  soul  yearns  to  believe  it, 
my  reason  refuses  credence.  It  is  not  enough  to 
utter  this  sudden  intelligence,  Balthazar ;  it  must 
be  proved.  Furnish  but  a  moiety  of  the  evidence 
that  is  necessary  to  establish  a  legal  fact,  and  ^ 
will  render  thee  the  richest  of  thy  class  in  Christen 
dom  !  And  thou,  Sigismund,  come  close  to  my  heart 
noble  boy,"  he  added,  with  outstretched  arms, "  thai 
2  0,2 


486  THE    HEADSMAN. 

I  may  bless  thee,  while  there  is  hope — that  I  may 
feel  one  beat  of  a  father's  pulses — one  instant  of 
a  father's  joy !" 

Sigismund  knelt  at  the  venerable  Prince's  feet, 
and  receiving  his  head  on  his  shoulder,  their  tears 
mingled.  But  even  at  that  precious  moment  both 
felt  a  sense  of  insecurity,  as  if  the  exquisite  pleasure 
of  so  pure  a  happiness  were  too  intense  to  last. 
Maso  looked  upon  this  scene  with  cold  displeasure. 
His  averted  face  denoting  a  stronger  feeling  than 
disappointment,  though  the  power  of  natural  sym 
pathy  was  so  strong  as  to  draw  evidences  of  its 
force  from  the  eyes  of  all  the  others  present. 

"  Bless  thee,  bless  thee,  my  child,  my  dearly  be 
loved  son !"  murmured  the  Doge,  lending  himself 
to  the  improbable  tale  of  Balthazar  for  a  delicious 
instant,  arid  kissing  the  cheeks  of  Sigismund  as 
one  would  embrace  a  smiling  infant ;  "  may  the 
God  of  heaven  and  earth,  his  only  Son,  and  the 
holy  Virgin  undefiled,  unite  to  bless  thee,  here  and 
hereafter,be  thou  whom  thou  mayest !  I  owe  thee  one 
precious  instant  of  happiness,  such  as  I  have  never 
tasted  before.  To  find  a  child  would  not  be  enough 
to  give  it  birth ;  but  to  believe  thee  to  be  that  son 
touches  on  the  joys  of  paradise  !" 

Sigismund  fervently  kissed  the  hand  that  had 
rested  affectionately  on  his  head  during  this  dic 
tion  ;  then,  feeling  the  necessity  of  having  some 
guarantee  for  the  existence  of  emotions  so  sweet, 
he  arose  and  made  a  warm  and  strong  appeal  to 
him  who  had  so  long  passed  for  his  father  to  be 
more  explicit,  and  to  justify  his  new-born  hopes 
oy  some  evidence  better  than  his  simple  asseve 
ration  ;  for  solemnly  as  the  latter  had  been  made, 
and  profound  as  he  knew  to  be  the  reverence  for 
truth  which  the  despised  headsman  not  only 
entertained  himself  but  inculcated  in  all  in 
whom  he  had  any  interest,  the  revelation  he  had 


THE    HEADSMAN.  487 

just  made  seemed  too  improbable  to  resist  the 
doubts  of  one  who  knew  his  happiness  to  be  the 
fruit  or  the  forfeiture  of  its  veracity. 


CHAPTEE  XXX. 

We  rest — a  dream  has  power  to  poison  sleep ; 
We  rise— one  wandering  thought  pollutes  the  day ; 
We  feel,  conceive  or  reason,  laugh  or  weep ; 
Embrace  fond  woe,  or  cast  our  cares  away. 

SHELLEY. 

THE  tale  of  Balthazar  was  simple  but  eloquent 
His  union  with  Marguerite,  in  spite  of  the  world's 
obloquy  and  injustice,  had  been  blest  by  the  wise 
and  merciful  Being  who  knew  how  to  temper  the 
wind  to  the  shorn  lamb. 

"  We  knew  we  were  all  to  each  other,"  he  con 
tinued,  after  briefly  alluding  to  the  early  history  of 
their  births  and  love ;  "  and  we  felt  the  necessity 
of  living  for  ourselves.  Ye  that  are  born  to  honors, 
who  meet  with  smiles  and  respectful  looks  in  all  ye 
meet,  can  know  little  of  the  feeling  which  binds 
together  the  unhappy.  When  God  gave  us  our 
first-born,  as  he  lay  a  smiling  babe  in  her  lap, 
looking  up  into  her  eye  with  the  innocence  that 
most  likens  man  to  angels,  Marguerite  shed  bitter 
tears  at  the  thought  of  such  a  creature's  being  con 
demned  by  the  laws  to  shed  the  blood  of  men.  The 
reflection  that  he  was  to  live  for  ever  an  outcast 
from  his  kind  was  bitter  to  a  mother's  heart.  We 
had  made  many  offers  to  the  canton  to  be  released 
ourselves,  from  this  charge ;  we  had  prayed  them 
— Herr  Melchior,  you  should  know  how  earnestly 
we  have  prayed  the  council,  to  be  suffered  to  live 
like  others,  and  without  this  accursed  doom — but 


488  THE    HEADSMAN. 

they  would  not.  They  said  the  usage  was  ancient, 
that  change  was  dangerous,  and  that  what  God 
willed  must  come  to  pass.  We  could  not  bear  that 
the  burthen  we  found  so  hard  to  endure  ourselves 
should  go  down  for  ever  as  a  curse  upon  our  de 
scendants,  Herr  Doge,"  he  continued,  raising  his 
meek  face  in  the  pride  of  honesty  ;  "  it  is  well  for 
those  who  are  the  possessors  of  honors  to  be  proud 
of  their  privileges ;  but  when  the  inheritance  is  one 
of  wrongs  and  scorn,  when  the  evil  eyes  of  our 
fellows  are  upon  us,  the  heart  sickens.  Such  was 
our  feeling  when  we  looked  upon  our  first-born. 
The  wish  to  save  him  from  our  own  disgrace  was 
uppermost,  and  we  bethought  us  of  the  means." 

"  Ay !"  sternly  interrupted  Marguerite,  "  I  parted 
with  my  child,  and  silenced  a  mother's  longings, 
proud  nobles,  that  he  might  not  become  the  tool 
of  your  ruthless  policy ;  I  gave  up  a  mother's  joy 
in  nourishing  and  in  cherishing  her  young,  that  the 
little  innocent  might  live  among  his  fellows,  as 
God  had  created  him,  their  equal  and  not  their 
victim !" 

Balthazar  paused,  as  was  usual  with  him  when 
ever  his  -energetic  wife  manifested  any  of  her  strong 
and  masculine  qualities,  and  then,  when  deep  silence 
had  followed  her  remark,  he  proceeded. 

"  We  wanted  not  for  wealth ;  all  we  asked  was 
to  be  like  others  in  the  world's  respect.  With  our 
money  it  was  very  easy  to  find  those  in  another 
canton,  who  were  willing  to  take  the  little  Sigis- 
mund  into  their  keeping.  After  which,  a  feigned 
death,  and  a  private  burial,  did  the  rest.  The  deceit 
was  easily  practised,  for  as  few  cared  for  the  griefs 
as  for  the  happiness  of  the  headsman's  family 
The  child  had  drawn  near  the  end  of  its  first  year, 
when  I  was  called  upon  to  execute  my  office  on  a 
stranger.  The  criminal  had  taken  life  in  a  drunken 
brawl  in  one  of  the  towns  of  the  canton,  and  he 


THE    HEADSMAN.  489 

was  said  to  be  a  man  that  had  trifled  with  the  pre 
cious  gifts  of  birth,  it  being  suspected  that  he  was 
noble.  I  went  with  a  heavy  heart,  for  never  did 
I  strike  a  blow  without  praying  God  it  might  be 
the  last ;  but  it  was  heavier  when  I  reached  the 
place  where  the  culprit  awaited  his  fate.  The 
tidings  of  my  poor  son's  death  reached  me  as  I 
put  foot  on  the  threshold  of  the  desolate  prison,  and 
I  turned  aside  to  weep  for  my  own  woes,  before  I 
entered  to  see  my  victim.  The  condemned  man 
had  great  unwillingness  to  die ;  he  had  sent  for  me 
many  hours  before  the  fatal  moment,  to  make  ac 
quaintance,  as  he  said,  with  the  hand  that  was  to 
dispatch  him  to  the  presence  of  his  last  and  eternal 
judge." 

Balthazar  paused ;  he  appeared  to  meditate  on 
a  scene  that  had  probably  left  indelible  impressions 
on  his  mind.  Shuddering  involuntarily,  he  raised 
his  eyes  from  the  pavement  of  the  chapel,  and  con 
tinued  the  recital,  always  in  the  same  subdued  and 
tranquil  manner. 

"  I  have  been  the  unwilling  instrument  of  many 
a  violent  death — I  have  seen  the  most  reckless  sin 
ners  in  the  agonies  of  sudden  and  compelled  re 
pentance,  but  never  have  I  witnessed  so  wild  and 
fearful  a  struggle  between  earth  and  heaven — the 
world  and  the  grave — passion  and  the  rebuke  of 
Providence — as  attended  the  last  hours  of  that 
unhappy  man !  There  were  moments  in  which  the 
mild  spirit  of  Christ  won  upon  his  evil  mood  't  is 
true;  but  the  picture  was,  in  general,  that  of 
revenge  so  fierce,  that  the  powers  of  hell  alone 
could  give  it  birth  in  a  human  heart.  He  had  with 
him  an  infant  of  an  age  just  fitted  to  be  taken  from 
the  breast.  This  child  appeared  to  awaken  the 
fiercest  conflicting  feelings;  he  both  yearned  over 
it  and  detested  its  sight,  though  hatred  seemed 
most  to  prevail." 


490  THE    HEADSMAN. 

"  This  was  horrible !"  murmured  the  Doge. 

"  It  was  the  more  horrible,  Herr  Doge,  that  it 
should  come  from  one  who  was  justly  condemned 
to  the  axe.  He  rejected  the  priests;  he  would 
have  naught  of  any  but  me.  My  soul  lothed  the 
wretch — yet  so  few  ever  showed  an  interest  in 
us — and  it  would  have  been  cruel  to  desert  a  dy 
ing  man !  At  the  end,  he  placed  the  child  in  my 
care,  furnishing  more  gold  than  was  sufficient  to 
rear  it  frugally  to  the  age  of  manhood,  and  leav 
ing  other  valuables  which  I  have  kept  as  proofs 
that  might  some  day  be  useful.  All  I  could  learn 
of  the  infant's  origin  was  simply  this.  It  came 
from  Italy,  and  of  Italian  parents ;  its  mother  died 
soon  after  its  birth," — a  groan  escaped  the  Doge 
— "  its  father  still  lived,  and  was  the  object  of  the 
criminal's  implacable  hatred,  as  its  mother  had 
been  of  his  ardent  love ;  its  birth  was  noble,  and 
it  had  been  baptized  in  the  bosom  of  the  church  by 
the  name  of  Gaetano." 

"  It  must  be  he ! — it  is — it  must  be  my  beloved 
son! — "  exclaimed  the  Doge,  unable  to  control 
himself  any  longer.  He  spread  wide  his  arms, 
and  Sigismund  threw  himself  upon  his  bosom, 
though  there  still  remained  fearful  apprehensions 
that  all  he  heard  was  a  dream.  "  Go  on — go  on — 
excellent  Balthazar,"  added  the  Signor  Grimaldi, 
drying  his  eyes,  and  struggling  to  command  him 
self.  "  I  shall  have  no  peace  until  all  is  revealed 
to  the  last  syllable  of  thy  wonderful,  thy  glorious 
tale !" 

"  There  remains  but  little  more  to  say,  Herr 
Doge.  The  fatal  hour  arrived,  and  the  criminal 
was  transported  to  the  place  where  he  was  to  give 
up  his  life.  While  seated  in  the  chair  in  which 
he  received  the  fatal  blow,  his  spirit  underwent 
infernal  torments.  I  have  reason  to  think  that 
there  were  moments  when  he  would  gladly  have 


THE    HEADSMAN.  491 

made  his  peace  with  God.  But  the  demons  pre 
vailed  ;  he  died  in  his  sins !  From  the  hour  when 
he  committed  the  little  Gaetano  to  my  keeping,  I 
did  not  cease  to  entreat  to  be  put  in  possession  of 
the  secret  of  the  child's  birth,  but  the  sole  answer 
I  received  was  an  order  to  appropriate  the  gold  to 
my  own  uses,  and  to  adopt  the  boy  as  my  own. 
The  sword  was  in  my  hand,  and  the  signal  to 
strike  was  given,  when,  for  the  last  time,  I  asked 
the  name  of  the  infant's  family  and  country,  as  a 
duty  I  could  not  neglect.  *  He  is  thine — he  is 
thine — '  was  the  answer ;  '  tell  me,  Balthazar,  is 
thy  office  hereditary,  as  is  wont  in  these  regions? 
I  was  compelled,  as  ye  know,  to  say  it  was.  'Then 
adopt  the  urchin ;  rear  him  to  fatten  on  the  blood 
of  his  fellows  !'  It  was  mockery  to  trifle  with  such 
a  spirit.  When  his  head  fell,  it  still  had  on  its  fierce 
features  traces  of  the  infernal  triumph  with  which 
his  spirit  departed !" 

"  The  monster  was  a  just  sacrifice  to  the  laws 
of  the  canton!"  exclaimed  the  single-minded  bai 
liff.  "  Thou  seest,  Herr  Melchior,  that  we  do  well 
in  arming  the  hand  of  the  executioner,  in  spite  of 
all  the  sentiment  of  the  weak-minded.  Such  a 
wretch  was  surely  unworthy  to  live." 

This  burst  of  official  felicitation  from  Peter- 
chen,  who  rarely  neglected  an  occasion  to  draw 
a  conclusion  favorable  to  the  existing  order  of 
things,  like  most  of  those  who  reap  their  exclusive 
advantage,  and  to  the  prejudice  of  innovation,  pro 
duced  little  attention ;  all  present  were  too  much 
absorbed  in  the  facts  related  by  Balthazar,  to  turn 
aside  to  speak,  or  think,  of  other  matters. 

"  What  became  of  the  boy  ?"  demanded  the 
worthy  clavier,  who  had  taken  as  deep  an  interest 
as  the  rest,  in  the  progress  of  the  narrative. 

"  I  could  not  desert  him,  father ;  nor  did  I  wish 
to.  He  came  into  my  guardianship  at  a  moment 


492  THE    HEADSMAN. 

when  God,  to  reprove  our  repinings  at  a  lot  thai 
he  had  chosen  to  impose,  had  taken  our  own  little 
Sigismund  to  heaven.  I  filled  the  place  of  the 
dead  infant  with  my  living  charge ;  I  gave  to  him 
the  name  of  my  own  son,  and  I  can  say  confident 
ly,  that  I  transferred  to  him  the  love  I  had  borne 
my  own  issue ;  though  time,  and  use,  and  a  know 
ledge  of  the  child's  character,  were  perhaps  ne 
cessary  to  complete  the  last.  Marguerite  nevei 
knew  the  deception,  though  a  mother's  instinct  ana 
tenderness  took  the  alarm  and  raised  suspicions. 
We  have  never  spoken  freely  on  this  together,  and 
like  you,  she  now  heareth  the  truth  for  the  first 
time." 

"'Twas  a  fearful  mystery  between  God  and 
my  own  heart !"  murmured  the  woman ;  "  I  for 
bore  to  trouble  it — Sigismund,  or  Gaetano,  or  what 
ever  you  will  have  his  name,  filled  my  affections, 
and  I  strove  to  be  satisfied.  The  boy  is  dear  to 
me,  and  ever  will  be,  though  you  seat  him  on  a 
throne ;  but  Christine — the  poor  stricken  Christine 
— is  truly  the  child  of  my  bosom !" 

Sigismund  went  and  knelt  at  the  feet  of  her 
whom  he  had  ever  believed  his  mother,  and  earn 
estly  begged  her  blessing  and  continued  affection. 
The  tears  streamed  from  Marguerite's  eyes,  as  she 
willingly  bestowed  the  first,  and  promised  never  to 
withhold  the  last. 

"  Hast  thou  any  of  the  trinkets  or  garments 
that  were  given  thee  with  the  child,  or  canst  ren 
der  an  account  of  the  place  where  they  are  still 
to  be  found  1"  demanded  the  Doge,  whose  whole 
mind  was  too  deeply  set  on  appeasing  his  doubts 
to  listen  to  aught  else. 

"They  are  all  here  in  the  convent.  The  gold 
has  been  fairly  committed  to  Sigismund,  to  form 
his  equipment  as  a  soldier.  The  child  was  kept 
\part,  receiving  such  education  as  a  learned  priest 


THE    HEADSMAN. 


493 


could  give  till  of  an  age  to  serve,  and  then  I  sent 
him  to  bear  arms  in  Italy,  which  I  knew  to  be  the 
country  of  his  birth,  though  I  never  knew  to  what 
Prince  his  allegiance  was  due.  The  time  had  now 
come  when  I  thought  it  due  to  the  youth  to  let  him 
know  the  real  nature  of  the  tie  between  us ;  but  I 
shrank  from  paining  Marguerite  and  myself,  and 
I  even  did  his  heart  the  credit  to  believe  that  he 
would  rather  belong  to  us,  humble  and  despised 
though  we  be,  than  find  himself  a  nameless  out 
cast,  without  home,  country,  or  parentage.  It  was 
necessary,  however,  to  speak,  and  it  was  my  pur 
pose  to  reveal  the  truth,  here  at  the  convent,  in 
the  presence  of  Christine.  For  this  reason,  and 
to  enable  Sigismund  to  make  inquiries  for  his 
family,  the  effects  received  from  the  unhappy 
criminal  with  the  child  were  placed  among  his 
baggage  secretly.  They  are,  at  this  moment,  on 
the  mountain." 

The  venerable  old  prince  trembled  violently; 
for,  with  the  intense  feeling  of  one  who  dreaded 
that  his  dearest  hopes  might  yet  be  disappointed,  he 
feared,  while  he  most  wished,  to  consult  these 
mute  but  veracious  witnesses. 

"  Let  them  be  produced  ! — let  them  be  instantly 
produced  and  examined !"  he  whispered  eagerly  to 
those  around  him.  Then  turning  slowly  to  the  im 
movable  Maso,  he  demanded — "  And  thou,  man 
of  falsehood  and  of  blood !  what  dost  thou  reply 
to  this  clear  and  probable  tale  ?" 

II  Maledetto  smiled,  as  if  superior  to  a  weakness 
that  had  blinded  the  others.  The  expression  of 
his  countenance  was  filled  with  that  look  of  calm 
superiority  which  certainty  gives  to  the  well-in 
formed  over  the  doubting  and  deceived." 

"  I  have  to  reply,  Signore,  and  honored  father," 
he  coolly  answered,  "that  Balthazar  hath  right 
cleverly  related  a  tale  that  hath  been  ingeniously 
2R 


494  THE    HEADSMAN. 

devised.  That  I  am  Bartolo,  I  repeat  to  thee,  can 
be  proved  by  a  hundred  living  tongues  in  Italy. — 
Thou  best  knowest  who  Bartolo  Contini  is,  Doge 
of  Genoa/'' 

"  He  speaks  the  truth,"  returned  the  prince, 
dropping  his  head  in  disappointment.  "  Oh !  Mel- 
hior,  I  have  had  but  too  sure  proofs  of  what  he 
intimates!  I  have  long  been  certain  that  this 
wretched  Bartolo  is  my  son,  though  never  before 
have  I  been  cursed  with  his  presence.  Bad  as  I 
was  taught  to  think  him,  my  worst  fears  had  not 
painted  him  as  I  now  find  the  truth  would  war 
rant." 

"  Has  there  not  been  some  fraud — art  thou  not 
the  dupe  of  some  conspiracy  of  which  money  has 
been  the  object  ?" 

The  Doge  shook  his  head,  in  a  way  to  prove 
that  he  could  not  possibly  flatter  himself  with  such 
a  hope. 

"  Never :  my  offers  of  money  have  always  been 
rejected." 

"  Why  should  I  take  the  gold  of  my  father  ?" 
added  II  Maledetto ;  "  my  own  skill  and  courage 
more  than  suffice  for  my  wants." 

The  nature  of  the  answer,  and  the  composed 
demeanor  of  Maso,  produced  an  embarrassing 
pause. 

"  Let  the  two  stand  forth  and  be  confronted," 
said  the  puzzled  clavier  at  length ;  "  nature  often 
reveals  the  truth  when  the  uttermost  powers  of 
man  are  at  fault — if  either  is  the  true  child  of  the 
prince,  we  should  find  some  resemblance  to  the 
father  to  support  his  claim." 

The  test,  though  of  doubtful  virtue,  was  eagerly 
adopted,  for  the  truth  had  now  become  so  involved, 
as  to  excite  a  keen  interest  in  all  present.  The 
desire  to  explain  the  mystery  was  general,  and  the 
slightest  means  of  attaining  such  an  end  became  of 


THE    HEADSMAN.  495 

a  value  proportionate  to  the  difficulty  of  effecting 
the  object.  Sigismund  and  Maso  were  placed  be 
neath  the  lamp,  where  its  light  was  strongest,  and 
every  eye  turned  eagerly  to  their  countenances,  in 
order  to  discover,  or  to  fancy  it  discovered,  some 
of  those  secret  signs  by  which  the  mysterious  affin 
ities  of  nature  are  to  be  traced.  A  more  puzzling 
examination  could  not  well  have  been  essayed. 
There  was  proof  to  give  the  victory  to  each  of  the 
pretenders,  if  such  a  term  may  be  used  with  pro 
priety  as  it  concerns  the  passive  Sigismund,  and 
much  to  defeat  the  claims  of  the  latter.  In  the 
olive-colored  tint,  the  dark,  rich,  rolling  eye,  arid 
in  stature,  the  advantage  was  altogether  with 
Maso,  whose  outline  of  countenance  and  penetrat 
ing  expression  had  also  a  resemblance  to  those  of 
the  Doge,  so  marked  as  to  render  it  quite  apparent 
to  any  who  wished  to  find  it.  The  habits  of  the 
mariner  had  probably  diminished  the  likeness,  but 
it  was  too  obviously  there  to  escape  detection. 
That  hardened  and  rude  appearance,  the  conse 
quence  of  exposure,  which  rendered  it  difficult  to 
pronounce  within  ten  years  of  his  real  age,  contri 
buted  a  little  to  conceal  what  might  be  termed  the 
latent  character  of  his  countenance,  but  the  fea 
tures  themselves  were  undeniably  a  rude  copy  of 
the  more  polished  lineaments  of  the  Prince. 

The  case  was  less  clear  as  respects  Sigismund. 
The  advantage  of  ruddy  and  vigorous  youth  ren 
dered  him  such  a  resemblance  of  the  Doge — in  the 
points  where  it  existed — as  we  find  between  the 
aged  and  those  portraits  which  have  been  painted 
in  their  younger  and  happier  days.  The  bold  out 
line  was  not  unlike  that  of  the  noble  features  of  the 
venerable  Prince,  but  neither  the  eye,  the  hair,  nor 
the  complexion,  had  the  hues  of  Italy. 

"  Thou  seest,"  said  Maso,  tauntingly,  when  the 
disappointed  clavier  admitted  the  differences  in 


496  THE    HEADSMAN. 

the  latter  particulars,  "  this  is  an  imposition  that 
will  not  pass.  I  swear  to  you,  as  there  is  faith  in 
man,  and  hope  for  the  dying  Christian,  that  so  far 
as  any  know  their  parentage,  I  am  the  child  of 
Gaetano  Grimaldi,  the  present  Doge  of  Genoa,  and 
of  no  other  man !  May  the  saints  desert  me ! — 
the  blessed  Mother  of  God  be  deaf  to  my  pray 
ers  ! — and  all  men  hunt  me  with  their  curses,  if  I 
say  aught  in  this  but  holy  truth !" 

The  fearful  energy  with  which  Maso  uttered 
this  solemn  appeal,  and  a  certain  sincerity  that 
marked  his  manner,  and  perhaps  we  might  even 
say  his  character,  in  spite  of  the  dissolute  reckless 
ness  of  his  principles,  served  greatly  to  weaken 
the  growing  opinion  in  favor  of  his  competitor. 

"And  this  noble  youth?"  asked  the  sorrowing 
Doge — "  this  generous  and  elevated  boy,  whom  I 
have  already  held  next  to  my  heart,  with  so  much 
of  a  father's  joy — who  and  what  is  he  1" 

"  Eccellenza,  I  wish  to  say  nothing  against  the 
Signor  Sigismondo.  He  is  a  gallant  swimmer, 
and  a  staunch  support  in  time  of  need.  Be  he 
Swiss,  or  Genoese,  either  country  may  be  proud 
of  him ;  but  self-love  teaches  us  all  to  take  care  of 
our  own  interests  before  those  of  another.  It 
would  be  far  pleasanter  to  dwell  in  the  Pa 
lazzo  Grimaldi,  on  our  warm  and  sunny  gulf, 
honored  and  esteemed  as  the  heir  of  a  noble  name, 
than  to  be  cutting  heads  in  Berne ;  and  honest 
Balthazar  does  but  follow  his  instinct,  in  seeking 
preferment  for  his  son !" 

Each  eye  now  turned  on  the  headsman,  who 
quailed  not  under  the  scrutiny,  but  maintained  the 
firm  front  of  one  conscious  that  he  had  done  no 
wrong. 

"  I  have  not  said  that  Sigismund  is  the  child  of 
any,"  he  answered  in  his  meek  manner,  but  with 
a  steadiness  that  won  him  credit  with  the  listeners 


THE    HEADSMAN.  497 

I  have  only  said  that  he  belongs  not  to  me.  No 
father  need  wish  a  worthier  son,  and  heaven  knows 
that  I  yield  my  own  claims  with  a  sorrow  that  it 
would  be  grievous  to  bear,  did  I  not  hope  a  better 
fortune  for  him  than  any  which  can  come  from  a 
connexion  with  a  race  accursed.  The  likeness 
which  is  seen  in  Maso,  and  which  Sigismund  is 
thought  to  want,  proves  little,  noble  gentlemen  and 
reverend  monks ;  for  all  who  have  looked  closely 
into  these  matters  know  that  resemblances  are  as 
often  found  between  the  distant  branches  of  the 
same  family,  as  between  those  who  are  more  nearly 
united.  Sigismund  is  not  of  us,  and  none  can  see 
any  trace  of  either  my  own  or  of  Marguerite's 
family  in  his  person  or  features." 

Balthazar  paused  that  there  might  be  an  exami 
nation  of  this  fact,  and,  in  truth,  the  most  ingenious 
fancy  could  not  have  detected  the  least  affinity  in 
looks,  between  either  of  those  whom  he  had  so  long 
thought  his  parents  and  the  young  soldier. 

"  Let  the  Doge  of  Genoa  question  his  memory, 
and  look  farther  than  himself.  Can  he  find  no 
sleeping  smile,  no  color  of  the  hair,  nor  any  other 
common  point  of  appearance,  between  the  youth 
and  some  of  those  whom  he  once  knew  and  loved  ?'" 

The  anxious  prince  turned  eagerly  towards  Si 
gismund,  and  a  gleam  of  joy  lighted  his  face  again, 
as  he  studied  the  young  man's  features. 

"  By  San  Francesco !  Melchior,  the  honest  Bal 
thazar  is  right.    My  grandmother  was  a  Venetian, 
and  she  had  the  fair  hair  of  the  boy — the  eye  too, 
is  hers — and — oh !"  bending  his  head  aside  and 
veiling  his  eyes  with  his  hand,  "  I  see  the  anxious 
gaze  that  was  so  constant  in  the  sainted  and  injured 
Angiolina,  after  my  greater  wealth  and  power  had 
tempted  her  kinsmen  to  force  her  to  yield  an  un 
willing  hand! — Wretch!  thou  art  not  Bartolo 
2R2 


498  THE    HEADSMAN. 

thy  tale  is  a  wicked  deception,  invented  to  shield 
thee  from  the  punishment  due  to  thy  crime !" 

"  Admitting  that  I  am  not  Bartolo,  eccellenza, 
does  the  Signor  Sigismondo  claim  to  be  he  ?  Have 
you  not  assured  yourself  that  a  certain  Bartolo 
Contini,  a  man  whose  life  is  passed  in  open  hostility 
to  the  laws,  is  your  child  1  Did  you  not  employ 

S)ur  confidant  and  secretary  to  learn  the  facts  ? 
id  he  not  hear  from  the  dying  lips  of  a  holy  priest, 
who  knew  all  the  circumstances,  that  *  Bartolo 
Contini  is  the  son  of  Gaetano  Grimaldi'  ?  Did  not 
the  confederate  of  your  implacable  enemy,  Cristo- 
fero  Serrani,  swear  the  same  to  you  1  Have  you 
not  seen  papers  that  were  taken  with  your  child 
to  confirm  it  all,  and  did  you  not  send  this  signet 
as  a  gage  that  Bartolo  should  not  want  your  aid, 
in  any  strait  that  might  occur  in  his  wild  manner 
of  living,  when  you  learned  that  he  resolutely  pre 
ferred  remaining  what  he  was,  to  becoming  an 
image  of  sickly  repentance  and  newly-assumed 
nobility,  in  your  gorgeous  palace  on  the  Strada 
Balbi?" 

The  Doge  again  bowed  his  head  in  dismay,  for 
all  this  he  knew  to  be  true  beyond  a  shadow  of 
hope. 

"  Here  is  some  sad  mistake,"  he  said  with  bitter 
regret.  "  Thou  hast  received  the  child  of  some 
other  bereaved  parent,  Balthazar;  but,  though  I 
cannot  hope  to  prove  myself  the  natural  father  of 
Sigismund,  he  shall  at  least  find  me  one  in  affection 
and  good  offices.  If  his  life  be  not  due  to  me,  I 
owe  him  mine ;  the  debt  shall  form  a  tie  between 
us  little  short  of  that  to  which  nature  herself  could 
give  birth." 

"  Herr  Doge,"  returned  the  earnest  headsman, 
"  let  us  not  be  too  hasty.  If  there  are  strong  facts 
in  favor  of  the  claims  of  Maso,  there  are  many 
circumstances,  also,  in  favor  of  those  of  Sigismund. 


THE    HEADSMAN.  499 

To  me,  the  history  of  the  last  is  probably  more 
clear  than  it  can  be  to  any  other.  The  time,  the 
country,  the  age  of  the  child,  the  name,  and  the 
fearful  revelations  of  the  criminal,  are  all  strong 
proofs  in  Sigismund's  behalf.  Here  are  the  effects 
that  were  given  me  with  the  child ;  it  is  possible 
that  they,  too,  may  throw  weight  into  his  scale." 

Balthazar  had  taken  means  to  procure  the  pack 
age  in  question  from  among  the  luggage  of  Sigis- 
mund,  and  he  now  proceeded  to  expose  its  contents, 
while  a  breathless  silence  betrayed  the  interest 
with  which  the  result  was  expected.  He  first  laid 
upon  the  pavement  of  the  chapel  a  collection  of 
child's  clothing.  The  articles  were  rich,  and  ac 
cording  to  the  fashions  of  the  times;  but  they 
contained  no  positive  proofs  that  could  go  to  sub 
stantiate  the  origin  of  the  wearer,  except  as  they 
raised  the  probability  of  his  having  come  of  an 
elevated  rank  in  life.  As  the  different  objects  were 
placed  upon  the  stones,  Adelheid  and  Christine 
kneeled  beside  them,  each  too  intently  absorbed 
with  the  progress  of  the  inquiry  to  bethink  them 
selves  of  those  forms  which,  in  common,  throw  a 
restraint  upon  the  manners  of  their  sex.  The  latter 
appeared  to  forget  her  own  sorrows,  for  a  moment, 
in  a  new-born  interest  in  her  brother's  fortunes, 
while  the  ears  of  the  former  drank  in  each  syllable 
that  fell  from  the  lips  of  the  different  speakers,  with 
an  avidity  that  her  strong  sympathy  with  the  youth 
could  alone  give. 

"  Here  is  a  case  containing  trinkets  of  value," 
added  Balthazar.  "  The  condemned  man  said  they 
were  taken  through  ignorance,  and  he  was  accus 
tomed  to  suffer  the  child  to  amuse  himself  with 
them  in  the  prison." 

"  These  were  my  first  offerings  to  my  wife,  in 
return  for  the  gift  she  had  made  me  of  the  precious 
babe."  said  the  Doge,  in  such  a  smothered  voice 


500  THE    HEADSMAN. 

as  we  are  apt  to  use  when  examining  objects  that 
recall  the  presence  of  the  dead — "  Blessed  Angio- 
lina !  these  jewels  are  so  many  tokens  of  thy  pale 
but  happy  countenance ;  thou  felt  a  mother's  joy 
t  that  sacred  moment,  and  could  even  smile  on 
me !" 

"  And  here  is  a  talisman  in  sapphire,  with  many 
Eastern  characters ;  I  was  told  it  had  been  an  heir 
loom  in  the  family  of  the  child,  and  was  put  about 
his  neck  at  the  birth,  by  the  hands  of  his  own 
father." 

"  I  ask  no  more — I  ask  no  more  !  God  be  praised 
for  this,  the  last  and  best  of  all  his  mercies  !"  cried 
the  Prince,  clasping  his  hands  with  devotion.  "  This 
jewel  was  worn  by  myself  in  infancy,,  and  I  placed 
it  around  the  neck  of  the  babe  with  my  own  hands, 
as  thou  sayest — I  ask  no  more." 

"  And  Bartolo  Contini !"  uttered  II  Maledetto. 

"  Maso !"  exclaimed  a  voice,  which  until  then 
had  been  mute  in  the  chapel.  It  was  Adelheid 
who  had  spoken.  Her  hair  had  fallen  in  wild  pro 
fusion  over  her  shoulders,  as  she  still  knelt  over 
the  articles  on  the  pavement,  and  her  hands  were 
clasped  entreatingly,  as  if  she  deprecated  the  rude 
interruptions  which  had  so  often  dashed  the  cup 
from  their  lips,  as  they  were  about  to  yield  to  the 
delight  of  believing  Sigismund  to  be  the  child  of 
the  Prince  of  Genoa. 

"  Thou  art  another  of  a  fond  and  weak  sex,  to 
swell  the  list  of  confiding  spirits  that  have  been 
betrayed  by  the  selfishness  and  falsehood  of  men," 
answered  the  mocking  mariner.  "  Go  to,  girl ! — 
make  thyself  a  nun;  thy  Sigismund  is  an  impostor." 

Adelheid,  by  a  quick  but  decided  interposition 
of  her  hand,  prevented  an  impetuous  movement  of 
the  young  soldier,  who  would  have  struck  his  au 
dacious  rival  to  his  feet.  Without  changing  hei 
kneeling  attitude,  she  then  spoke,  modestly  but  with 


THE   HEADSMAN.  501 

a  firmness  which  generous  sentiments  enable  women 
to  assume  even  more  readily  than  the  stronger  sex, 
when  extraordinary  occasions  call  for  the  sacrifice 
of  that  reserve  in  which  her  feebleness  is  ordinarily 
intrenched. 

"  I  know  not,  Maso,  in  what  manner  thou  hast 
learned  the  tie  which  connects  me  with  Sigis- 
mund,"  she  said  ;  "  but  I  have  no  longer  any  wish 
to  conceal  it.  Be  he  the  son  of  Balthazar,  or  be 
he  the  son  of  a  prince,  he  has  received  my  troth 
with  the  consent  of  my  honored  father,  and  our 
fortunes  will  shortly  be  one.  There  might  be  for 
wardness  in  a  maiden  thus  openly  avowing  her 
preference  for  a  youth;  but  here,  with  none  to 
own  him,  oppressed  with  his  long-endured  wrongs, 
and  assailed  in  his  most  sacred  affections,  Sigis- 
mund  has  a  right  to  my  voice.  Let  him  belong 
to  whom  else  he  may,  I  speak  by  my  venerable 
father's  authority,  when  I  say  he  belongs  to  us." 

"  Melchior,  is  this  true  ?"  cried  the  Doge. 

"  The  girl's  words  are  but  an  echo  of  what  my 
heart  feels,"  answered  the  baron,  looking  about 
him  proudly,  as  if  he  would  browbeat  any  who 
should  presume  to  think  that  he  had  consented  to 
corrupt  the  blood  of  Willading  by  the  measure. 

"  I  have  watched  thine  eye,  Maso,  as  one  nearly 
interested  in  the  truth,"  continued  Adelheid,  "  and 
I  now  appeal  to  thee,  as  thou  lovest  thine  own  soul, 
to  disburthen  thyself!  While  thou  may'st  have 
told  some  truth,  the  jealous  affection  of  a  woman 
has  revealed  to  me  that  thou  hast  kept  back  part. 
Speak,  then,  and  relieve  the  soul  of  this  venerable 
prince  from  torture," 

"  And  deliver  my  own  body  to  the  wheel !  This 
may  be  well  to  the  warm  imagination  of  a  love 
sick  girl,  but  we  of  the  contraband  have  too  much 
practice  in  men  uselessly  to  throw  away  an  ad 
vantage." 


502  THE    HEADSMAN. 

"Thou  mayest  have  confidence  in  our  faith. 
1  have  seen  much  of  thee  within  the  last  few 
days,  Maso,  and  I  wish  not  to  think  thee  capable 
of  the  bloody  deed  that  hath  been  committed  on 
the  mountain,  though  I  fear  thy  life  is  only  too 
ungoverned ;  still  I  will  not  believe  that  the  hero 
of  the  Leman  can  be  the  assassin  of  St.  Bernard." 

"  When  thy  young  dreams  are  over,  fair  one, 
and  thou  seest  the  world  under  its  true  colors,  thou 
wilt  know  that  the  hearts  of  men  come  partly  of 
Heaven  and  partly  of  Hell." 

Maso  laughed  in  his  most  reckless  manner  as  ho 
delivered  this  opinion. 

"'T  is  useless  to  deny  that  thou  hast  sympathies," 
continued  the  maiden  steadily ;  "  thou  hast  in  se 
cret  more  pleasure  in  serving  than  in  injuring 
thy  race.  Thou  canst  not  have  been  in  such 
straits  in  company  with  the  Signer  Sigismondo, 
without  imbibing  some  touch  of  his  noble  gene 
rosity.  You  have  struggled  together  for  our  com 
mon  good,  you  come  of  the  same  God,  have  the 
same  manly  courage,  are  equally  stout  of  heart, 
strong  of  hand,  and  willing  to  do  for  others.  Such 
a  heart  must  have  enough  of  noble  and  human 
impulses  to  cause  you  to  love  justice.  Speak, 
then,  and  I  pledge  our  sacred  word,  that  thou  shalt 
fare  better  for  thy  candor  than  by  taking  refuge 
in  thy  present  fraud.  Bethink  thee,  Maso,  that 
the  happiness  of  this  aged  man,  of  Sigismund 
himself,  if  thou  wilt,  for  I  blush  not  to  say  it — of 
a  weak  and  affectionate  girl,  is  in  thy  keeping. 
Give  us  truth  holy ;  sacred  truth,  and  we  pardon 
the  past." 

II  Maledetto  was  moved  by  the  beautiful  earn 
estness  of  the  speaker.  Her  ingenuous  interest  in 
the  result,  with  the  solemnity  of  her  appeal,  shook 
his  purpose. 


THE    HEADSMAN.  503 

"  Thou  know'st  not  what  thou  say'st,  lady ;  thou 
ask'st  my  life,"  he  answered,  after  pondering  in  a 
way  to  give  a  new  impulse  to  the  dying  hopes  of 
the  Doge. 

"  Though  there  is  no  quality  more  sacred  than 
justice,"  interposed  the  chatelain,  who  alone  could 
speak  with  authority  in  the  Valais ;  "  it  is  fairly 
within  the  province  of  her  servants  to  permit 
her  to  go  unexpiated,  in  order  that  greater  good 
may  come  of  the  sacrifice.  If  thou  wilt  prove 
aught  that  is  of  grave  importance  to  the  interests 
of  the  Prince  of  Genoa,  Valais  owes  it  to  the  love 
it  bears  his  republic  to  requite  the  service." 

Maso  listened,  at  first,  with  a  cold  ear.  He 
felt  the  distrust  of  one  who  had  sufficient  know 
ledge  of  the  world  to  be  acquainted  with  the  thou 
sand  expedients  that  were  resorted  to  by  men,  in 
order  to  justify  their  daily  want  of  faith.  He  ques 
tioned  the  chatelain  closely  as  to  his  meaning,  nor 
was  it  until  a  late  hour,  and  after  long  and  weary 
explanations  on  both  sides,  that  the  parties  came 
to  an  understanding. 

On  the  part  of  those  who,  on  this  occasion,  were 
the  representatives  of  that  high  attribute  of  the 
Deity  which  among  men  is  termed  justice,  it  was 
sufficiently  apparent  that  they  understood  its  exer 
cise  with  certain  reservations  that  might  be  made 
at  pleasure  in  favor  of  their  own  views ;  and,  on 
the  part  of  Maso,  there  was  no  attempt  to  con 
ceal  the  suspicions  he  entertained  to  the  last,  that 
he  might  be  a  sufferer  by  lessening  in  any  degree 
the  strength  of  the  defences  by  which  he  was  at 
present  shielded,  as  the  son,  real  or  fancied,  of  a 
person  so  powerful  as  the  Prince  of  Genoa. 

As  usually  happens  when  there  is  a  mutual  wish 
to  avoid  extremities,  and  when  conflicting  inter 
ests  are  managed  with  equal  address,  the  negotia* 

'  ' 


504  THE    HEADSMAN. 

tion  terminated  in  a  "compromise.  As  the  result 
will  be  shown  in  the  regular  course  of  the  narra 
tive,  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  closing  chapter 
for  the  explanation. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

"  Speak,  oh,  speak ! 
And  take  me  from  the  rack." 

YOUNO. 

IT  will  be  remembered  that  three  days  were 
passed  in  the  convent  in  that  interval  which  oc 
curred  between  the  arrival  of  the  travellers  and 
those  of  the  chatelain  and  the  bailiff.  The  deter 
mination  of  admitting  the  claims  of  Sigismund,  so 
frankly  announced  by  Adelheid  in  the  preceding 
chapter,  was  taken  during  this  time.  Separated 
from  the  world,  and  amid  that  magnificent  solitude 
where  the  passions  and  the  vulgar  interests  of  life 
sank  into  corresponding  insignificance  as  the  ma 
jesty  of  God  became  hourly  more  visible,  the  baron 
had  been  gradually  won  upon  to  consent.  Love 
for  his  child,  aided  by  the  fine  moral  and  personal 
qualities  of  the  young  man  himself,  which  here 
stood  out  in  strong  relief,  like  one  of  the  stern 
piles  of  those  Alps  that  now  appeared  to  his  eyes 
so  much  superior,  in  their  eternal  beds,  to  all  the 
vine-clad  hills  and  teeming  valleys  of  the  lower 
world,  had  been  the  immediate  and  efficient  agents 
in  producing  this  decision.  It  is  not  pretended 
that  the  Bernese  made  an  easy  conquest  over  his 
prejudices,  which  was  in  truth  no  other  than  a 
conquest  over  himself,  he  being,  morally  consid 
ered,  little  other  than  a  collection  of  the  narrow 
opinions  and  exclusive  doctrines  which  it  was  then 


THE    HEADSMAN.  505 

the  fashion  to  believe  necessary  to  high  civiliza 
tion.  On  the  contrary,  the  struggle  had  been  se 
vere  ;  nor  is  it  probable  that  the  gentle  blandish 
ments  of  Adelheid,  the  eloquent  but  silent  appeals 
to  his  reason  that  were  constantly  made  by  Sigis- 
nund  in  his  deportment,  or  the  arguments  of  his 
old  comrade,  the  Signor  Grimaldi,  who,  with  a 
philosophy  that  is  more  often  made  apparent  in 
our  friendships  than  in  our  own  practice,  dilated 
copiously  on  the  wisdom  of  sacrificing  a  few 
worthless  and  antiquated  opinions  to  the  happiness 
of  an  only  child,  would  have  prevailed,  had  the 
Baron  been  in  a  situation  less  abstracted  from  the 
ordinary  circumstances  of  his  rank  and  habits, 
than  that  in  which  he  had  been  so  accidentally 
thrown.  The  pious  clavier,  too,  who  had  obtained 
some  claims  to  the  confidence  of  the  guests  of  the 
convent  by  his  services,  and  by  the  risks  he  had 
run  in  their  company,  came  to  swell  the  number 
of  Sigismund's  friends.  Of  humble  origin  himself, 
and  attached  to  the  young  man  not  only  by  his 
general  merits,  but  by  his  conduct  on  the  lake,  he 
neglected  no  good  occasion  to  work  upon  Melchi- 
or's  mind,  after  he  himself  had  become  acquainted 
with  the  nature  of  the  young  man's  hopes.  As  they 
paced  the  brown  and  naked  rocks  together,  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  convent,  the  Augustine  discoursed 
on  the  perishable  nature  of  human  hopes,  and  on 
the  frailty  of  human  opinions.  He  dwelt  with 
pious  fervor  on  the  usefulness  of  recalling  the 
thoughts  from  the  turmoil  of  daily  and  contracted 
interests,  to  a  wider  view  of  the  truths  of  existence. 
Pointing  to  the  wild  scene  around  them,  he  likened 
the  confused  masses  of  the  mountains,  their  sterili 
ty,  and  their  ruthless  tempests,  to  the  world  with 
its  want  of  happy  fruits,  its  disorders,  and  its  vio 
lence.  Then  directing  the  attention  of  his  com 
panion  to  the  azure  vault  above  them,  which,  seen 


506  THE    HEADSMAN. 

at  that  elevation  and  in  that  pure  atmospnere,  re 
sembled  a  benign  canopy  of  the  softest  tints  and 
colors,  he  made  glowing  appeals  to  the  eternal  and 
holy  tranquillity  of  the  state  of  being  to  which 
hey  were  both  fast  hastening,  and  which  had  its 
ype  in  the  mysterious  and  imposing  calm  of  that 
ranquil  and  illimitable  void.    He  drew  his  moral 
in  favor  of  a  measured  enjoyment  of  our  advan 
tages  here,  as  well  as  of  rendering  love  and  justice 
to  all  who  merited  our  esteem,  and  to  the  disadvan 
tage  of  those  iron  prejudices  which  confine  the 
best  sentiments  in  the  fetters  of  opinions  founded 
in  the  ordinances  and  provisions  of  the  violent  and 
selfish. 

It  was  after  one  of  these  interesting  dialogues 
that  Melchior  de  Willading,  his  heart  softened  and 
his  soul  touched  with  the  hopes  of  heaven,  listened 
with  a  more  indulgent  ear  to  the  firm  declaration 
of  Adelheid,  that  unless  she  became  the  wife  of 
Sigismund,  her  self-respect,  no  less  than  her  affec 
tions,  must  compel  her  to  pass  her  life  unmarried. 
We  shall  not  say  that  the  maiden  herself  philoso 
phized  on  premises  as  sublime  as  those  of  the  good 
monk,  for  with  her  the  warm  impulses  of  the  heart 
lay  at  the  bottom*of  her  resolution ;  but  even  she 
had  the  respectable  support  of  reason  to  sustain 
her  cause.  The  baron  had  that  innate  desire  to 
perpetuate  his  own  existence  in  that  of  his  de 
scendants,  which  appears  to  be  a  property  of  na 
ture.  Alarmed  at  a  declaration  which  threatened 
annihilation  to  his  line,  while  at  the  same  time  he 
was  more  than  usually  under  the  influence  of  his 
etter  feelings,  he  promised  that  if  the  charge  of 
murder  could  be  removed  from  Balthazar,  he 
would  no  longer  oppose  the  union.  We  should  be 
giving  the  reader  an  opinion  a  little  too  favorable 
of  the  Herr  von  Willading,  were  we  to  say  that 
he  did  not  repent  having  made  this  promise  soon 


THE    HEADSMAN.  507 

after  it  was  uttered.  He  was  in  a  state  of  mind 
that  resembled  the  vanes  of  his  own  towers,  which 
changed  their  direction  with  every  fresh  current 
of  air,  but  he  was  by  far  too  honorable  to  think 
seriously  of  violating  a  faith  that  he  had  once  fair 
ly  plighted.  He  had  moments  of  unpleasant  mis 
givings  as  to  the  wisdom  and  propriety  of  his 
promise,  but  they  were  of  that  species  of  regret, 
which  is  known  to  attend  an  unavoidable  evil.  If 
he  had  any  expectations  of  being  released  from 
his  pledge,  they  were  bottomed  on  certain  vague 
impressions  that  Balthazar  would  be  found  guilty, 
though  the  constant  and  earnest  asseverations 
of  Sigismund  in  favor  of  his  father  had  great 
ly  succeeded  in  shaking  his  faith  on  this  point. 
Adelheid  had  stronger  hopes  than  either;  the 
fears  of  the  young  man  himself  preventing  him 
from  fully  participating  in  her  confidence,  while 
her  father  shared  her  expectations  on  that  torment 
ing  principle,  which  causes  us  to  dread  the  worst. 
When,  therefore,  the  jewelry  of  Jacques  Colis  was 
found  in  the  possession  of  Maso,  and  Balthazar 
was  unanimously  acquitted,  not  only  from  this  cir 
cumstance,  which  went  so  conclusively  to  crimi 
nate  another,  but  from  the  wanf  of  any  other  evi 
dence  against  him  than  the  fact  of  his  being  found 
in  the  bone-house  instead  of  the  .Refuge,  an  acci 
dent  that  might  well  have  happened  to  any  other 
traveller  in  the  storm,  the  baron  resolutely  pre 
pared  himself  to  redeem  his  pledge.  It  is  scarcely 
necessary  to  add  how  much  this  honorable  senti 
ment  was  strengthened  by  the  unexpected  declara 
tion  of  the  headsman  concerning  the  birth  of  Si 
gismund.  Notwithstanding  the  asseveration  of 
Maso  that  the  whole  was  an  invention  conceived  to 
favor  the  son^of  Balthazar,  it  was  supported  by 
proofs  so  substantial  and  palpable,  to  say  nothing 
of  the  natural  and  veracious  manner  in  which  the 


508  THE    HEADSMAN. 

tale  was  related,  as  to  create  a  strong  probability 
in  the  minds  of  the  witnesses,  that  it  might  be  true. 
Although  it  remained  to  be  discovered  who  were 
the  real  parents  of  Sigismund,  few  now  believed 
that  he  owed  his  existence  to  the  headsman. 

A  short  summary  of  the  facts  may  aid  the  read 
er  in  better  understanding,  the  circumstances  on 
which  so  much  denouement  depends. 

It  has  been  revealed  in  the  course  of  the  narra 
tive  that  the  Signor  Grimaldi  had  wedded  a  lady 
younger  than  himself,  whose  affections  were  alrea 
dy  in  the  possession  of  one. that,  in  moral  qualities, 
was  unworthy  of  her  love,  but  who  in  other  re 
spects  was  perhaps  better  suited  to  become  her  hus 
band,  than  the  powerful  noble  to  wrhom  her  family 
had  given  her  hand.  The  birth  of  their  son  was  soon 
followed  by  the  death  of  the  mother,  and  the  ab 
duction  of  the  child.  Years  had  passed,  when  the 
Signor  Grimaldi  was  first  apprized  of  the  existence 
of  the  latter.  He  had  received  this  important  in 
formation  at  a  moment  when  the  authorities  of 
Genoa  were  most  active  in  pursuing  those  who 
had  long  and  desperately  trifled  with  the  laws,  and 
the  avowed  motive  for  the  revelation  was  an  ap 
peal  to  his  natural  affection  in  behalf  of  a  son, 
who  was  likely  to  become  the  victim  of  his  prac 
tices.  The  recovery  of  a  child  under  such  cir 
cumstances  was  a  blow  severer  than  his  loss,  and 
it  will  readily  be  supposed  that  the  truth  of  the 
pretension  of  Maso,  who  then  went  by  the  name 
of  Bartolomeo  Contini,  was  admitted  with  the 
greatest  caution.  Reference  had  been  made  by 
the  friends  of  the  smuggler  to  a  dying  monk,  whose 
character  was  above  suspicion,  and  who  corro 
borated,  with  his  latest  breath,  the  statement  of 
Maso,  by  affirming  before  God  and  the  saints  that 
he  knew  him,  so  far  as  man  could  know  a  fact  like 
this,  to  be  the  son  of  the  Signor  Grimaldi.  This 


THE   HEADSMAN.  509 

grave  testimony,  given  under  circumstances  of 
such  solemnity,  and  supported  by  the  production 
of  important  papers  that  had  been  stolen  with  the 
child,  removed  the  suspicions  of  the  Doge.  He 
secretly  interposed  his  interest  to  save  the  criminal, 
though,  after  a  fruitless  attempt  to  effect  a  reform 
ation  of  his  habits  by  means  of  confidential  agents, 
he  had  never  consented  to  see  him. 

Such  then  was  the  nature  of  the  conflicting 
statements.  While  hope  and  the  pure  delight  of 
finding  himself  the  father  of  a  son  like  Sigismund, 
caused  the  aged  prince  to  cling  to  the  claims  of  the 
young  soldier  with  fond  pertinacity,  his  cooler 
and  more  deliberate  judgment  had  already  been 
formed  in  favor  of  another.  In  the  long  private 
examination  which  succeeded  the  scene  in  the 
chapel,  Maso  had  gradually  drawn  more  into  him 
self,  becoming  vague  and  mysterious,  until  he  suc 
ceeded  in  exciting  a  most  painful  state  of  doubt 
and  expectation  in  all  who  witnessed  his  deport 
ment.  Profiting  by  this  advantage,  he  suddenly 
changed  his  tactics.  He  promised  revelations  of 
importance,  on  the  condition  that  he  should  first 
be  placed  in  security  within  the  frontiers  of  Pied 
mont.  The  prudent  chatelain  soon  saw  that  the 
case  was  getting  to  be  one  in  which  Justice  was 
expected  to  be  blind  in  the  more  politic  significa 
tion  of  the  term.  He,  therefore,  drew  off  his  lo 
quacious  coadjutor,  the  bailiff,  in  a  way  to  leave 
the  settlement  of  the  affair  to  the  feelings  and 
wishes  of  the  Doge.  The  latter,  by  the  aid  of 
Melchior  and  Sigismund,  soon  effected  an  under 
standing,  in  which  the  conditions  of  the  mariner 
were  admitted;  when  the  party  separated  for  the 
night.  II  Maledetto,  on  whom  weighed  the  entire 
load  of  Jacques  Colis'  murder,  was  again  commit 
ted  to  his  temporary  prison,  while  Balthazar,  Pippo, 
and  Conrad,  were  permitted  to  go  at  large,  as 
2  S2 


510  THE    HEADSMAN. 

having  successfully  passed  the  ordei/  of  examina 
tion. 

Day  dawned  upon  the  Col  long  ere  the  shades 
of  night  had  deserted  the  valley  of  the  Rhone.  All 
in  the  convent  were  in  motion  before  the  appear 
ance  of  the  sun,  it  being  generally  understood  tha 
the  event  which  had  so  much  disturbed  the  orde. 
of  its  peaceful  inmates'  lives,  was  to  be  brought 
finally  to  a  close,  and  that  their  duties  were  about 
to  return  into  the  customary  channels.  Orisons 
are  constantly  ascending  to  heaven  from  the  pass 
of  St.  Bernard,  but,  on  the  present  occasion,  the 
stir  in  and  about  the  chapel,  the  manner  in  which 
the  good  canons  hurried  to  and  fro  through  the 
long  corridors,  and  the  general  air  of  excitement, 
proclaimed  that  the  offices  of  the  matins  possessed 
more  than  the  usual  interest  of  the  regular  daily 
devotion. 

The  hour  was  still  early  when  all  on  the  pass 
assembled  in  the  place  of  worship.  The  body  of 
Jacques  Colis  had  been  removed  to  a  side  chapel, 
where,  covered  with  a  pall,  it  awaited  the  mass 
for  the  dead.  Two  large  church  candles  stood 
lighted  on  the  steps  of  the  great  altar,  and  the 
spectators,  including  Pierre  and  the  muleteers,  the 
servants  of  the  convent,  and  others  of  every  rank 
and  age,  were  drawn  up  in  double  files  in  its  front. 
Among  the  silent  spectators  appeared  Balthazar 
and  his  wife,  Maso,  in  truth  a  prisoner,  but  with 
the  air  of  a  liberated  man,  the  pilgrim,  and  Pippo. 
The  good  prior  was  present  in  his  robes,  with  all 
of  his  community.  During  the  moments  of  sus 
pense  which  preceded  the  rites,  he  discoursed 
civilly  with  the  chatelain  and  the  bailiff,  both  of 
whom  returned  his  courtesies  with  interest,  and  in 
the  manner  in  which  it  becomes  the  dignified  and 
honored  to  respect  appearances  in  the  presence  of 
their  inferiors.  Still  the  demeanor  of  mo.st  was 


THE    HEADSMAN.  511 

feverish  and  excited,  as  if  the  occasion  were  one 
of  compelled  gaiety,  into  which  unwelcome  and 
extraordinary  circumstances  of  alloy  had  thrust 
themselves  unbidden. 

On  the  opening  of  the  door  a  little  procession  en 
tered,  headed  by  the  clavier.  Melchior  de  Willading 
ed  his  daughter,  Sigismund  came  next,  followed  by 
Marguerite  and  Christine,  and  the  venerable  Doge 
brought  up  the  rear.  Simple  as  was  this  wedding 
train,  it  was  imposing  from  the  dignity  of  the  prin 
cipal  actors,  and  from  the  evidences  of  deep  feeling 
with  which  all  in  it  advanced  to  the  altar.  Sigis 
mund  was  firm  and  self-possessed.  Still  his  car 
riage  was  lofty  and  proud,  as  if  he  felt  that  a  cloud 
still  hung  over  that  portion  of  his  history  to  which 
the  world  attached  so  much  importance,  and  he 
had  fallen  back  on  his  character  and  principles  for 
support.  Adelheid  had  lately  been  so  much  the 
subject  of  strong  emotions,  that  she  presented  her 
self  before  the  priest  with  less  trepidation  than  was 
usual  for  a  maiden ;  but  the  fixed  regard,  the  color 
less  cheek,  and  an  air  of  profound  reverence,  an 
nounced  the  depth  and  solemn  character  of  the 
feelings  with  which  she  was  prepared  to  take  the 
vows. 

The  marriage  rites  were  celebrated  by  the  good 
clavier,  who,  not  content  with  persuading  the 
baron  to  make  this  sacrifice  of  his  prejudices,  had 
asked  permission  to  finish  the  work  he  had  so  hap 
pily  commenced,  by  pronouncing  the  nuptial  bene 
diction.  Melchior  de  Willading  listened  to  the 
short  ceremony  with  silent  self-approval.  He  felt 
disposed  at  that  instant  to  believe  he  had  wisely 
sacrificed  the  interests  of  the  world  to  the  right,  a 
sentiment  that  was  a  little  quickened  by  the  uncer 
tainty  which  still  hung  over  the  origin  of  his  new 
son,  who  might  yet  prove  to  be  all  that  he  could 
hope,  as  well  as  by  the  momentary  satisfaction  he 


512  THE    HEADSMAN. 

found  in  manifesting  his  independence  by  bestow 
ing  the  hand  of  his  daughter  upon  one  whose  merit 
was  so  much  better  ascertained  than  his  birth.  In 
this  manner  do  the  best  deceive  themselves,  yield 
ing  frequently  to  motives  that  would  not  support 
investigation  when  they  believe  themselves  the 
strongest  in  the  right.  The  good-natured  clavier 
had  observed  the  wavering  and  uncertain  charac 
ter  of  the  baron's  decision,  and  he  had  been  indu 
ced  to  urge  his  particular  request  to  be  the  offici 
ating  priest  by  a  secret  apprehension  that,  descended 
again  into  the  scenes  of  the  world,  the  relenting 
father  might  become,  like  most  other  parents  of 
these  nether  regions,  more  disposed  to  consult  the 
temporal  advancement  than  the  true  happiness  of 
his  child. 

As  one  of  the  parties  was  a  Protestant,  no  mass 
was  said,  an  omission,  however,  that  in  no  degree 
impaired  the  legal  character  of  the  engagement. 
Adelheid  plighted  her  unvarying  love  and  fidelity 
with  maiden  modesty,  but  with  the  steadiness  of  a 
woman  whose  affections  and  principles  were  supe 
rior  to  the  little  weaknesses  which,  on  sucli  occa 
sions,  are  most  apt  to  unsettle  those  who  have  the 
least  of  either  of  these  great  distinctive  essentials 
of  the  sex.  The  vows  to  cherish  and  protect 
were  uttered  by  Sigismund  in  deep  manly  sincerity, 
for,  at  that  moment,  he  felt  as  if  a  life  of  devotion 
to  her  happiness  would  scarcely  requite  her  single- 
minded,  feminine,  and  unvarying  truth.  . 

"  May  God  bless  thee,  dearest,"  murmured  old 
Melchior,  as,  bending  over  his  kneeling  child,  he 
struggled  to  keep  down  a  heart  which  appeared 
disposed  to  mount  into  his  throat,  in  spite  of  it 
master's  inclinations;  "bless  thee — bless  thee,  love, 
now  and  for  ever.  Providence  has  dealt  sternly 
with  thy  brothers  and  sisters,  but  in  leaving  thee 
it  has  still  left  me  rich  in  offspring.  Here  is  oui 


THE    HEADSMAN.  513 

good  friend,  Gaetano,  too — his  fortune  has  been 
still  harder — but  we  will  hope — we  will  hope. 
And  thou,  Sigismund,  now  that  Balthazar  hath  dis 
owned  thee,  thou  must  accept  such  a  father  as 
Heaven  sends.  All  accidents  of  early  life  are  for 
gotten,  and  Willading,  like  my  old  heart,  hath  got- 
en  a  new  owner  and  a  new  lord !" 

The  young  man  exchanged  embraces  with  the 
baron,  whose  character  he  knew  to  be  kind  in  the 
main,  and  for  whom  he  felt  the  regard  which  was 
natural  to  his  present  situation.  He  then  turned, 
with  a  hesitating  eye,  to  the  Signor  Grimaldi.  The 
Doge  succeeded  his  friend  in  paying  the  compli 
ments  of  affection  to  the  bride,  and  had  just  re 
leased  Adelheid  with  a  warm  paternal  kiss. 

"  I  pray  Maria  and  her  holy  Son  in  thy  behalf!" 
said  the  venerable  Prince  with  dignky.  "  Thou 
enterest  on  new  and  serious  duties,  child,  but  the 
spirit  and  purity  of  an  angel,  a  meekness  that  does 
not  depress,  and  a  character  whose  force  rather 
relieves  than  injures  the  softness  of  thy  sex,  can 
temper  the  ills  of  this  fickle  world,  and  thou  may'st 
justly  hope  to  see  a  fair  portion  of  that  felicity 
which  thy  young  imagination  pictures  in  ?och  gold 
en  colors.  And  thou,"  he  added,  turning  to  meet 
the  embrace  of  Sigismund,  "  whoever  thou  art  by 
the  first  disposition  of  Providence,  thou  art  now 
rightfully  dear  to  me.  The  husband  of  Melchior 
de  Willading's  daughter  would  ever  have  a  claim 
upon  his  most  ancient  and  dearest  friend,  but  we 
are  united  by  a  tie  that  has  the  interest  of  a  singu 
lar  and  solemn  mystery.  My  reason  tells  me  that 
I  am  punished  for  much  early  and  wanton  pride 
and  wilfulness,  in  being  the  parent  of  a  child  that 
few  men  in  any  condition  of  life  could  wish  to 
claim,  while  my  heart  would  fain  flatter  me  with 
being  the  father  of  a  son  of  whom  an  emperor 
might  be  proud!  Thou  art,  and  thou  art  not,  of 


514  THE    HEADSMAN. 

my  blood.  Without  these  proofs  of  Maso's,  and 
the  testimony  of  the  dying  monk,  I  should  proclaim 
thee  to  be  the  latter  without  hesitation;  but  be 
thou  what  thou  may'st  by  birth,  thou  art  entirely 
and  without  alloy  of  my  love.  Be  tender  of  thfs 
ragile  flower  that  Providence  hath  put  under  thy 
rotection,  Sigismund ;  cherish  it  as  thou  vaiuest 
thine  own  soul;  the  generous  and  confiding  love 
of  a  virtuous  woman  is  always  a  support,  fre 
quently  a  triumphant  stay,  to  the  tottering  princi 
pies  of  man.  Oh !  had  it  pleased  God  earlier  to 
have  given  me  Angiolina,  how  different  might 
have  been  our  lives  !  This  dark  uncertainty  would 
not  now  hang  over  the  most  precious  of  human 
affections,  and  my  closing  hour  wTould  be  blessed. 
Heaven  and  its  saints  preserve  ye  both,  my  chil 
dren,  and  preserve  ye  long  in  your  present  inno 
^ence  and  affection !" 

The  venerable  Doge  ceased.  The  effort  which 
nad  enabled  him  to  speak  gave  way,  and  he  turned 
aside  that  he  might  weep  in  the  decent  reserve  that 
became  his  station  and  years. 

Until  now  Marguerite  had  been  silent,  watching 
the  countenances,  and  drinking  in  with  avidity  tne 
words,  of  the  different  speakers.  It  was  now  her 
turn.  Sigismund  knelt  at  her  feet,  pressing  her 
hands  to  his  lips  in  a  manner  to  show  that  her 
high,  though  stern  character,  had  left  deep  traces 
in  his  recollection.  Releasing  herself  from  his 
convulsed  grasp,  for  just  then  the  young  man  felt 
intensely  the  violence  of  severing  those  early  ties 
which,  in  his  case,  had  perhaps  something  of  wild 
romance  from  their  secret  nature,  she  parted  the 
curls  on  his  ample  brow,  and  stood  gazing  long  at 
his  face,  studying  each  lineament  to  its  minutest 
shade. 

"No,"  she  said  mournfully  shaking  her  head, 
"  truly  thou  art  not  of  us,  and  God  hath  dealt  mer 


THE    HEADSMAN.  515 

cifully  in  taking  away  the  innocent  little  creature 
whose  place  thou  hast  so  long  innocently  usurped  ! 
Thou  wert  dear  to  me,  Sigismund — very  dear — 
for  I  thought  thee  under  the  curse  of  my  race ;  do 
not  hate  me,  if  I  say  my  heart  is  now  in  the  grav 
of—" 

"  Mother !"  exclaimed  the  young  man  reproach 
fully. 

"  Well  I  am  still  thy  mother,"  answered  Mar 
guerite,  smiling,  though  painfully;  "thou  art  a 
noble  boy,  and  no  change  of  fortune  can  ever  alter 
thy  soul.  'Tis  a  cruel  parting,  Balthazar,  and  I 
know  not,  after  all,  that  thou  didst  well  to  deceive 
me ;  for  I  have  had  as  much  grief  as  joy  in  the 
youth — grief,  bitter  grief,  that  one  like  him  should 
be  condemned  to  live  under  the  curse  of  our  race — 
but  it  is  ended  now — he  is  not  of  us — no,  he  is  no 
longer  of  us !" 

This  was  uttered  so  plaintively  that  Sigismund 
bent  his  face  to  his  hands  and  sobbed  aloud. 

"  Now  that  the  happy  and  proud  weep,  'tis  time 
that  the  wretched  dried  their  tears,"  added  the  wife 
of  Balthazar,  looking  about  her  with  a  sad  mixture 
of  agony  and  pride  struggling  in  her  countenance: 
for,  in  spite  of  her  professions,  it  was  plain  that 
she  yielded  her  claim  on  the  noble  youth  with  deep 
yearnings  and  an  intense  agony  of  spirit.  "  We 
have  one  consolation,  at  least,  Christine — all  that 
are  not  of  our  blood  will  not  despise  us  now !  Am 
I  right,  Sigismund — thou  too  wilt  not  turn  upon  us 
with  the  world,  and  hate  those  whom  thou  once 
loved  ?" 

"  Mother,  mother,  for  the  sake  of  the  Holy  Vir 
gin,  do  not  harrow  my  soul !" 

"  I  will  not  distrust  thee,  dear ;  thou  didst  not 
drink  at  my  breast,  but  thou  hast  taken  in  too 
many  lessons  of  the  truth  from  my  lips  to  despise 
us — and  yet  thou  art  not  of  us ;  thou  mayest  pos- 


516  THE    HEADSMAN". 

sibly  prove  a  Prince's  son,  and  the  world  so  har- 
aens  the  heart — and  they  who  have  been  sorely 
pressed  upon  become  suspicious — " 

"  For  the  love  of  God,  cease,  mother,  or  thou 
wilt  break  my  heart !" 

"  Come  hither,  Christine.  Sigismund,  this  maid 
en  goes  with  thy  wife :  we  have  the  greatest  con 
fidence  in  the  truth  and  principles  of  her  thou  hast 
wedded,  for  she  has  been  tried  and  not  found  want 
ing.  Be  tender  to  the  child;  she  was  once  thy 
sister,  and  then  thou  used  to  love  her." 

"  Mother — thou  wilt  make  me  curse  the  hour  I 
was  born !" 

Marguerite,  while  she  could  not  overcome  the 
cold  distrust  which  habit  had  interwoven  with  nil 
her  opinions,  felt  that  she  was  cruel,  and  she  said 
no  more.  Stooping,  she  kissed  the  cold  forehea 
of  the  young  man,  gave  a  warm  embrace  to  her 
daughter,  over  whom  she  prayed  fervently  for  a 
minute,  and  then  placed  the  insensible  girl  into  the 
open  arms  of  Adelheid.  The  awful  workings  of 
nature  were  subdued  by  a  superhuman  will,  and 
she  turned  slowly  towards  the  silent,  respectful 
crowd,  who  had  scarcely  breathed  during  this  ex 
hibition  of  her  noble  character. 

"  Doth  any  here,"  she  sternly  asked,  "  suspect 
the  innocence  of  Balthazar  ?" 

"  None,  good  woman,  none  !"  returned  the  bai 
liff,  wiping  his  eyes ;  "  go  in  peace  to  thy  home,  o' 
Heaven's  sake,  and  God  be  with  thee !" 

"He  stands  acquitted  before  God  and  man!' 
added  the  more  dignified  chatelain. 

Marguerite  motioned  for  Balthazar  to  precede 
her,  and  she  prepared  to  quit  the  chapel.  On  the 
threshold  she  turned  and  cast  a  lingering  look  at 
Sigismund  and  Christine.  The  two  latter  were 
weeping  in  each  other's  arms,  and  the  soul  of  Mar 
guerite  yearned  to  mingle  her  tears  with  those  she 


THE    HEADSMAN.  517 

loved  so  well.  But,  stern  in  her  resolutions,  she 
stayed  the  torrent  of  feeling  which  would  have 
been  so  terrible  in  its  violence  had  it  broken  loose, 
and  followed  her  husband,  with  a  dry  and  glowing 
eye.  They  descended  the  mountain  with  a  vacuum 
in  their  hearts  which  taught  even  this  persecuted 
pair,  that  there  are  griefs  in  nature  that  surpass  all 
the  artificial  woes  of  life. 

The  scene  just  related  did  not  fail  to  disturb  the 
spectators.  Maso  dashed  his  hand  across  his  eyes, 
and  seemed  touched  with  a  stronger  working  of 
sympathy  than  it  accorded  with  his  present  policy 
to  show,  while  both  Conrad  and  Pippo  did  credit 
to  their  humanity,  by  fairly  shedding  tears.  The 
latter,  indeed,  showed  manifestations  of  a  sensi 
bility  that  is  not  altogether  incompatible  with 
ordinary  recklessness  and  looseness  of  principle. 
He  even  begged  leave  to  kiss  the  hand  of  the 
bride,  wishing  her  joy  with  fervor,  as  one  who 
had  gone  through  great  danger  in  her  company. 
The  whole  party  then  separated  with  an  exchange* 
of  cordial  good  feeling  which  proves  that,  how 
ever  much  men  may  be  disposed  to  jostle  and 
discompose  their  fellows  in  the  great  highway  of 
life,  nature  has  infused  into  their  composition 
some  great  redeeming  qualities  to  make  us  regret 
the  abuses  by  which  they  have  been  so  much  per 
verted. 

On  quitting  the  chapel,  the  whole  of  the  travel 
lers  made  their  dispositions  to  depart.  The  bailiff 
and  the  chatelain  went  down  towards  the  Rhone, 
as  well  satisfied  with  themselves  as  if  they  had 
discharged  their  trust  with  fidelity  by  committing 
Maso  to  prison,  and  discoursing  as  they  rode  along 
on  the  singular  chances  which  had  brought  a  son 
of  the  Doge  of  Genoa  before  them,  in  a  condition 
so  questionable.  The  good  Augustines  helped  the 
travellers  who  were  destined  for  the  other  do 
2T 


518  THE    HEADSMAN. 

scent  into  their  saddles,  and  acquitted  themselves 
of  the  last  act  of  hospitality  by  following  the  foot 
steps  of  the  mules,  with  wishes  for  their  safe  arri 
val  at  Aoste. 

The  path  across  the  Col  has  been  already  de 
scribed.  It  winds  along  the  margin  of  the  little 
lake,  passing  the  site  of  the  ancient  temple  of  Ju 
piter  at  the  distance  of  a  few  hundred  yards  from 
the  convent.  Sweeping  past  the  northern  extrem 
ity  of  the  little  basin,  where  it  crosses  the  frontiers 
of  Piedmont,  it  cuts  the  ragged  wall  of  rock,  and, 
after  winding  en  corniche  for  a  short  distance  by 
the  edge  of  a  fearful  ravine,  it  plunges  at  once  to 
wards  the  plains  of  Italy. 

As  there  was  a  desire  to  have  no  unnecessary 
witnesses  of  Maso's  promised  revelations,  Conrad 
and  Pippo  had  been  advised  to  quit  the  mountain 
before  the  rest  of  the  party,  and  the  muleteers 
were  requested  to  keep  a  little  in  the  rear.  At  the 
£oint  where  the  path  leaves  the  lake,  the  whole 
dismounted,  Pierre  going  ahead  with  the  beasts, 
with  a  view  to  make  the  first  precipitous  pitch  from 
the  Col  on  foot.  Maso  now  took  the  lead.  When 
he  reached  the  spot  where  the  convent  is  last  in 
view,  he  stopped  and  turned  to  gaze  at  the  venera 
ble  and  storm-beaten  pile. 

"  Thou  hesitatest,"  observed  the  Baron  de  Wil- 
lading,  who  suspected  an  intention  to  escape. 

"  Signore,  the  look  at  even  a  stone  is  a  melan 
choly  office,  when  it  is  known  to  be  the  last.  I 
have  often  climbed  to  the  Col,  but  I  shall  never 
dare  do  it  again ;  for,  though  the  honorable  and 
worthy  chatelain,  and  the  most  worthy  bailiff,  are 
willing  to  pay  their  homage  to  a  Doge  of  Genoa 
in  his  own  person,  they  may  be  less  tender  of  his 
honor  when  he  is  absent.  Addio,  caro  San  Ber 
nardo  !  Like  me,  thou  art  solitary  and  weather- 
beaten,  and  like  me,  though  rude  of  aspect,  thou 


THE    HEADSMAN.  519 

hast  thy  uses.  We  are  both  beacons— thou  to  tell 
the  traveller  where  to  seek  safety,  and  I  to  warn 
him  where  danger  is  to  be  avoided." 

There  is  a  dignity  in  manly  suffering,  that  com 
mands  our  sympathies.  All  who  heard  this  apos 
trophe  to  the  abode  of  the  Augustines  were  struck 
with  its  simplicity  and  its  moral.  They  followed 
the  speaker  in  silence,  however,  to  the  point  where 
the  path  makes  its  first  sudden  descent.  The  spot 
was  favorable  to  the  purpose  of  II  Maledetto. 
Though  still  on  the  level  of  the  lake,  the  convent, 
the  Col,  and  all  it  contained,  with  the  exception 
of  a  short  line  of  its  stony  path,  were  shut  from 
their  view,  by  the  barrier  of  intervening  rock. 
The  ravine  lay  beneath,  ragged,  ferruginous,  and 
riven  into  a  hundred  faces  by  the  eternal  action  of 
the  seasons.  All  above,  beneath,  and  around,  was 
naked,  and  chaotic  as  the  elements  of  the  globe 
before  they  received  the  order-giving  touch  of  the 
Creator.  The  imagination  could  scarce  picture  a 
scene  of  greater  solitude  and  desolation. 

"  Signore,"  said  Maso,  respectfully  raising  his 
cap,  and  speaking  with  calmness,  "  this  confusion 
of  nature  resembles  my  own  character.  Here 
everything  is  torn,  sterile,  and  wild ;  but  patience, 
charity,  and  generous  love,  have  been  able  to 
change  even  this  rocky  height  into  an  abode  for 
those  who  live  for  the  good  of  others.  There  is 
none  so  worthless  that  use  may  not  be  made  of 
him.  We  are  types  of  the  earth  our  mother ;  use 
less,  and  savage,  or  repaying  the  labor,  that  we 
receive,  as  we  are  treated  like  men,  or  hunted  like 
beasts.  If  the  great,  and  the  powerful,  and  the 
honored,  would  become  the  friends  and  monitors 
of  the  weak  and  ignorant,  instead  of  remaining  so 
many  watch-dogs  to  snarl  at  and  bite  all  that  they 
fear  may  encroach  on  their  privileges,  raising  the 
cry  of  the  wolf  each  time  that  they  hear  the  wail 


520  THE    HEADSMAN. 

of  the  timid  and  bleating  lamb,  the  fairest  works 
of  God  would  not  be  so  often  defaced.  I  have 
lived,  and  it  is  probable  that  I  shall  die  an  outlaw ; 
but  the  severest  pangs  I  ever  know  come  from  the 
the  mockery  which  accuses  my  nature  of  abuses 
that  are  the  fruits  of  your  own  injustice.  That 
stone,"  kicking  a  bit  of  rock  from  the  path  into 
the  ravine  beneath,  "  is  as  much  master  of  its  di 
rection  after  my  foot  has  set  its  mass  in  motion, 
as  the  poor  untaught  being  who  is  thrown  upon 
the  world,  despised,  unaided,  suspected,  and  con 
demned  even  before  he  has  sinned,  has  the  com 
mand  of  his  own  course.  My  mother  was  fail 
and  good.  She  wanted  only  the  power  to  with 
stand  the  arts  of  one,  who,  honored  in  the  opinions 
of  all  around  her,  undermined  her  virtue.  He  was 
great,  noble,  and  powerful;  while  she  hath  little 
beside  her  beauty  and  her  weakness.  Signori, — 
the  odds  against  her  were  too  much.  I  was  the 
punishment  of  her  fault.  I  came  into  a  world  then, 
in  which  every  man  despised  me  before  I  had  done 
any  act  to  deserve  its  scorn." 

"Nay,  this  is  pushing  opinions  to  extremes !"  in 
terrupted  the  Signor  Grimaldi,  who  had  scarce 
breathed,  in  his  eagerness  to  catch  the  syllables  as 
they  came  from  the  other's  tongue. 

"  We  began,  Signori,  as  we  have  ended ;  dis 
trustful,  and  struggling  to  see  which  could  do  the 
other  the  most  harm.  A  reverend  and  holy  monk, 
who  knew  my  history,  would  have  filled  a  soul 
with  heaven  that  the  wrongs  of  the  world  had  al 
ready  driven  to  the  verge  of  hell.  The  experiment 
failed.  Homily  and  precept,"  Maso  smiled  bitterly 
as  he  continued,  "  are  but  indifferent  weapons  to 
fight  with  against  hourly  wrongs ;  instead  of  be 
coming  a  cardinal  and  the  counsellor  of  the  head 
of  the  church,  I  am  the  man  ye  see.  Signor  Gri 
maldi,  the  monk  who  gave  me  his  care  was  Fatner 


THE    HEADSMAN.  521 

Girolamo.  He  told  the  truth  to  thy  secretary,  for 
[  am  the  son  of  poor  Annunziata  Altieri,  who  was 
once  thought  worthy  to  attract  thy  passing  notice. 
The  deception  of  calling  myself  another  of  thy 
children  was  practised  for  my  own  security.  The 
means  were  offered  by  an  accidental  confederacy 
with  one  of  the  instruments  of  thy  formidable 
enemy  and  cousin,  who  furnished  the  papers  that 
had  been  taken  with  the  little  Gaetano.  The  truth 
of  what  I  say  shall  be  delivered  to  you  at  Genoa. 
As  for  the  Signor  Sigismondo,  it  is  time  we  ceased 
to  be  rivals.  We  are  brothers,  with  this  difference 
in  our  fortunes,  that  he  comes  of  wedlock,  and  I  of 
an  unexpiated,  and  almost  an  unrepented,  crime !" 

A  common  cry,  in  which  regret,  joy,  and  sur 
prise  were  wildly  mingled,  interrupted  the  speaker. 
Adelheid  threw  herself  into  her  husband's  arms, 
and  the  pale  and  conscience-stricken  Doge  stood 
with  extended  arms,  an  image  of  contrition,  delight, 
and  shame.  His  friends  pressed  around  him  with 
consolation  on  their  tongues,  and  the  blandishments 
of  affection  in  their  manner,  for  the  regrets  of  the 
great  rarely  pass  away  unheeded,  like  the  moans 
of  the  low. 

"  Let  me  have  air !"  exclaimed  the  prince :  "give 
me  air  or  I  suffocate !  Where  is  the  child  of  An 
nunziata? — I  will  at  least  atone  to  him  for  the 
wrong  done  his  mother  !" 

It  was  too  late.  The  victim  of  another's  fault 
had  cast  himself  over  the  edge  of  the  precipice 
with  reckless  hardihood,  and  he  was  already  be 
yond  the  reach  of  the  voice,  in  his  swift  descent, 
by  a  shorter  but  dangerous  path,  towards  Aoste. 
Nettuno  was  at  his  heels.  It  was  evident  that  he 
endeavored  to  outstrip  Pippo  and  Conrad,  who  were 
trudging  ahead  by  the  more  beaten  road.  In  a  few 
minutes  he  turned  the  brow  of  a  beetling  rock,  and 
was  lost  to  view. 

2T2 


522  THE   HEADSMAN, 

This  was  the  last  that  was  known  of  II  Male 
detto.  At  Genoa,  the  Doge  secretly  received  the 
confirmation  of  all  that  he  had  heard,  and  Sigis- 
mund  was  legally  placed  in  possession  of  his  birth 
right.  The  latter  made  many  generous  but  useless 
efforts  to  discover  and  to  reclaim  his  brother. 
With  a  delicacy  that  could  hardly  be  expected,  the 
outlaw  had  withdrawn  from  a  scene  which  he  now 
felt  to  be  unsuited  to  his  habits,  and  he  never  per 
mitted  the  veil  to  be  withdrawn  from  the  place  of 
his  retreat. 

The  only  consolation  that  his  relatives  ever  ob 
tained,  arose  from  an  event  which  brought  Pippo 
under  the  condemnation  of  the  law.  Before  his 
execution,  the  buffoon  confessed  that  Jacques  Colis 
fell  by  the  hands  of  Conrad  and  himself,  and  that, 
ignorant  of  Maso's  expedient  on  his  own  account, 
they  had  made  use  of  Nettuno  to  convey  the  plun 
dered  jewelry  undetected  across  the  frontiers  of 
Piedmont. 


THE  END 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 


30m-6,'14 


48910                    955 
Cooper,   J.  F.                              C778 

iTove  Is.  (Headsman;               v.16 
ort  tho  Abbaye  Des 

Tignarons  ,j 

A 
e>f<f<0/J£7*         t^/_ 

<7              r«|fiw 

^^  4-4- 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


